…RDC “perturbed” over education issues in Region 10
“You go at Coomacka school, a big hole in the roof…they don’t have furniture, empty space” – Regional Chairman
“Why are there so many problems in the Education system? You go in the Berbice River, they ain’t got teachers” – councilor
Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) Chairmain Renis Morian has said the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is “perturbed” over issues in the area of education in the region, and “stringent” actions will be taken this year to address those issues.
Addressing Councillors and regional administrators at the most recent statutory meeting, Morian blasted senior education officials as he brought to the fore the issue of schools with inadequate furniture, with students allegedly sitting on the floor in one instance; while he noted that furniture and equipment were “sitting” in a bond.
A section of the Council during statutory meeting
“Some of these things in the bond nine months…You got fridge in the bond, you got over a thousand books in the bond, you got teachers’ desks, benches. These things in the bond sitting. I’m gonna come here and make a next recommendation if them things ain’t moved. I’m gonna call back the Council and we’re gonna make some very serious recommendations…Them things new till they getting old in the bond. And it’s just by chance we go to the bond, because we were looking to do another project and we were saying this room could be used, and we were shocked (at what we discovered),” the Regional Chairman stated.
He added that it was incumbent on the Regional Education Officer (REDO) to remove the items, since he is responsible for providing an account of their whereabouts.
Morian said more shocking was that no locks were observed on the door where items were stored. He went on to note that head teachers are afraid to write such reports for fear of victimisation, but he said that any senior officer found guilty of this practice could be removed.
He encouraged head teachers to write about issues, noting that the Council is going to act stringently. He also urged administrators to ensure that equipment provided by Government reaches students.
“I think the administration needs more accountability from the Department of Education. What they doing with Government money when they go out? Most times they go out is to harass the teachers…You go at Coomacka school, a big hole in the roof…they don’t have furniture, empty space, and furniture in the bond sitting…It boggles the mind to know that a school is crying out for furnishing and in the bond it got furniture… This is not acceptable,” Morian said.
He also pointed to the issue of officials allegedly not signing for retirees to receive their pensions.
Additionally, Councillor Charles Sampson told the Council that reports are not being copied to the Council’s Education Committee and to the Office of the Regional Chairman, as was previously recommended. He said there are lots of complaints, and the entire system is flawed. Sampson added that the area of Education has the largest budgetary allocation, and taxpayers should get value for money.
“I’m saying that Education needs to get its act together. Why are there so many problems in the Education system? You go in the Berbice River, they ain’t got teachers…We spend the most on education, and it’s disgusting because we’re not seeing the kind of improvement that we need to see, based on the budgetary allocations”, he noted.
Meanwhile, Councillor Vladimir Glasgow said the issues are not new, and pointed out that the REDO has been attached to the region only for a few months. He also made the recommendation for Councillors to go into the schools to make their own observations, noting that he is ready to work and lend support. In response, Morian said the Education Committee has already decided to conduct visits to schools.
REDO Rabindra Singh, also in his response, noted that many of the issues are managerial, and can be identified by head teachers, who are responsible for notifying the Department. He said some of the issues can also be rectified through interaction with teachers during school visits, as he urged councillors to also play a part in moving education forward in the Region.
