Catching the...

FROM PAGE XXV

Karisparu, for one, is a small community deep in the Pakaraima mountains of Region Eight. Getting to Karisparu is difficult; you can fly (it is a less treacherous journey by helicopter), use All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) or walk for days. There’s no internet or mobile connectivity there, and it is evident that there isn’t an abundance of resources like textbooks. Still, many believe their children can go to school and become the doctors, nurses & teachers the community badly needs. There’s a primary school there, and the children who move on to secondary school primarily go out to Mahdia. That’s why the girls stayed in the dorm. That means they spend months away from their families, only returning at the end of the school term. The other students at the dorm become family, even if they aren’t from the same communities. It is most important for these children to make sure the solutions we craft and implement work.

When I think about the plans that are touted as solutions to help bring some equality in the delivery of education, I think about the children in Karisparu, Micobie, and other Region Eight communities. I hope that in a matter of years, we will not be talking about catching the gap in the hinterland, and instead, we find other concerns to address and remedy.

If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com