The Alliance for Change (AFC) has concluded its listening and grounding sessions in the Hinterland communities and with specific reference to the North Rupununi the interpretivist (qualitative) data collected constructed meaning from Indigenous people lived experience. The AFC has gotten a better sense of the unspoken rules, practices in these villages though a representative sample which reveals that resources are not fairly /equitably distributed in the Hinterland and this affects their standard of living. But this piece will focus on the quality of education and the AFC’s attendant policy plans for our indigenous people.
Indigenous communities are scattered along the Lethem trail and its common knowledge that paved roads bring economic activities, accessibility to schools, hospitals, etc and the decentralization of public and provision of private services, such as internet connectivity.
It must be recalled that the construction for the Linden to Lethem road was signed under the APNU + AFC government with a grant from UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF) and a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The government even wanted to divert the funds from this road construction and with all the oil revenues has not continued with the remainder of the road from Mabura to Lethem. The Kurupukari bridge feasibility study was also done at the same time and the government cancelled the project.
The effects are rippling – in Toka, a resident petition that a paved road from Bush mouth to Toka will facilitate easier access to schools given that students have to traverse miles. In Annai, another resident informed that 73 students from surrounding villages walk 4 miles in the heated sun to reach Annai Secondary School. Approval was sought for the purchasing of a bus to transport students through a supplemental budget, but students still trek the trails to reach school, at the time this data was collected.
In this context , the AFC regional infrastructure plan includes construction of paved roads to Lethem and the bridge at Kurupukari crossing. In addition, to effect change at the community level, buses, boats and bicycles to suit the terrain will be provided with the free prior and informed consent of the Indigenous people.
Schools in hinterland communities are lacking soft infrastructure and resources are largely missing to effect optimal learning outcomes – the Hinterland needs far more resources as teachers have limited means to continuous training, primary school students have poor internet access for research, limited text books and coupled with poor electric power – these are structural problems which limit learning attainment as evidence in yearly NGSA and CSEC examinations result compared to coastal students better grades.
It must be recalled that the APNU + AFC government provided 200 internet hot spots in Hinterland Communities at government institutions, health centers and schools.
The AFC policy plans include the provision of Star Link internet to all Hinterland communities including the equitable distribution of text books , learning modules, libraries, placement of expert teachers in core subject areas, revised curriculum, in addition with indigenous languages and continuous training of teachers with attendant higher wages. These will be implemented with the free prior and informed consent of our Indigenous people in the 242 Indigenous villages.
The AFC policy plans will give the nation’s hinterland students a fair share through redistributive policies of cash transfers more than the because we care cash grant of GYD 55,000 per year. With further cash transfers to single parent / households in need, childhood nutrition, support for business ventures that generate sustained livelihood which will afford parents to send their children to school among other government- communities partnership support. In effect , a comprehensive policy plan for children’s health, accessibility and affordability to schools- our indigenous students must have a fair share of educational attainment on par with coastal students.
Dianna Rajcumar
Candidate
Alliance for Change
