away are forced to get to the Village of Kortberaad where there are cars going to New Amsterdam. The motorcycles are left there. One resident, Naline Beerball speaking of the state of the East Bank road, told this publication that there were tractors and trailers traversing the East Bank road frequently. “Now is only promises to fix the road we getting.” Recently, Region Six Chairman David Armogan said the time has come for a long-term road to be constructed on the East Bank, noting that the short-term measures that have been put in place have not been working. “A lot of people have been saying to us that it is a waste of time and money and the only person that benefits is the contractor. The people don’t get the benefits because soon after it becomes bad as it was before.” Moreover, the repair work which was done to the East Bank road annually only catered for a three-mile stretch from Glasgow to Everton, leaving the remaining 19 miles of road in a state of disrepair.
T
A resident walking along the impassable roadway
he state of the East Bank Berbice main access road has forced vehicle operators to stop using it, resulting in school children turning to alternative means to get to school. There are no secondary schools along the East Bank in Berbice, and some high school children have to travel as far as 25 miles to get to school daily as the road has deteriorated into a state of complete disrepair. The poorly maintained road no longer has holes for hundred-metre stretches but rather huge ditch-like craters. Students who are too young to be licensed are using motorcycles to travel along that road in an attempt to get a secondary education. About nine students travel from Mara, which is situated 25 miles from New Amsterdam while others travel from villages along the East Bank. Last year, there was a bus that took children to school, leaving Mara at 04:30h in the morning and returning after 18:00h. However, with the present state the road is in, it is impossible for the service to continue. A trip by bus 18 miles up the East Bank takes more than one hour.Some residents are calling for some kind of an intervention to be made, adding that the children are forced to break the law because of prevailing circumstances and this is endangering their lives. Deputy Commander of B Division, Superintendent Steven Mansell, who met with some of the residents recently, noted that at the age of 14, a child cannot be licensed to ride a motorcycle in Guyana. He urged parents to take the responsibility of getting their children to school, adding that the parent should be the rider and their child the pillion rider. He added that this not only ensures the safety of their children, but also preventing them from breaking traffic laws. In responding to the Superintendent’s comments, some parents stated that because of other commit-
ments, personally taking their children to school is not possible while others have more than one child attending high school. They argued that the children do not ride into New Amsterdam but to Light Town; a village where some of them can get a bus which takes them into New Amsterdam and brings them back in the afternoons. This arrangement, the parents added, is not without its problems. Light Town is situated 12 miles from New Amsterdam and the bus that transports the children is contracted to a utility company in New Amsterdam and leaves the Students on their way home from school on the East Bank of Berbice village at 06:30h on week mornings and returns late Several years ago, there was acontract to resurface in the afternoon. the entire East Bank Berbice main access road startThe operator of the bus takes the children to school ing from Mara. However, the contractor never completon his way to work and charges a fee. For the return ed the project and officials reported that funds had run trip back to Light Town, the children must wait until out. the driver is finished his day’s work before they make Resident had complained about the lack of quality of the return. From there, they continue their motorcythe road repair work then, adding that the trucks that cle journey home on the bumpy road in poorly lit conwere used to take material to the site were damaging ditions. the repairs made to the road by the contractor. The Light Town bus can only take some of the chilMeanwhile, the parents stated that until the road is dren, since several students from that large community repaired, they will continue to allow their children to also attend secondary school and are given preference. ride unlicensed since they have no other option of getAs a result, some of the students from villages further ting their children to school.