Hinterland Communities need to attract, retain qualified teachers – Chief Education Officer

Jun 19, 2012 News

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–    Baramita Village Captain says boys, girls not interested in education, prefer to be at rum shops  
By Rabindra Rooplall
In many of the hinterland communities there is a challenge of attracting and retaining qualified teachers to develop the districts, according to Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam.
This was disclosed in Baramita, Region One, Saturday, after the education official visited the community where Consolidated Northwest Resources Incorporated , which is a mining company, adopted the Baramita Primary School.
This company has also undertaken a number of developmental and social enhancement initiatives. Baramita is a settlement which is occupied by some 3000 Amerindians, many of whom are predominantly from the Carib Tribe.
Chief Education Officer Olato Sam explained that in Baramita, the village council which controls the area, has prepared incentives for teachers who decide to stay and teach in the village.

He said that other than the incentives and allowances given by the Education Ministry, the village council is also providing added incentives such as housing, ration for meals, and other necessary assistance needed to make the teacher’s stay as productive and as comfortable as possible.
“This is a good model for other communities to adopt. It will entice teachers to stay for a long period. We now have the responsibility to make sure those teachers are trained and then they can deliver the quality of education we expect at this level,” the Chief Education Officer noted.
Noting that a significant challenge for teachers and students is the language barrier, the Chief Education Officer said that for many of the youths coming into the various levels, the education sector has to develop the teaching of English as a second language in the predominant Carib Community. The teachers will be provided with the necessary skills.
“It’s not to make a total transition to English, but for the community to retain the native language while learning Standard English effectively.”
However, residents of the Amerindian settlement are pleading for the implementation of programmes to engage the youths of the village. According to the captain of the village, Bradley Thomas, a disturbing issue is the prevalence among youths to drop out of the school system and their involvement in alcohol consumption.
Captain Thomas noted that both boys and girls from an early age demonstrate a lack of interest in the education system.
He explained that the girls can be seen daily at the rum shops in the village while the boys mostly labour at mining camps. This attitude leads to the usage of marijuana and rum.
“I spoke with few of the boys and they told me,’Sir, school can’t put food in meh belly, but if I go and turn a batell in de backdam, I can get gold to buy food at de shop,” Thomas said.
He underscored that there is a need for career-oriented teachers to be hired in Baramita, and as such youths will be constructively occupied. Nevertheless, Thomas said that although it appears as if the youths have little or no liking for “books,” villagers have decided that having the youths involved in a more practical aspect of the education system, would be beneficial.
Thomas underscored that most of the young men are interested in mining, equipment and heavy-duty machinery. The Education Ministry combined with the relevant authorities can introduce programmes in this regard, he added.
According to the Headmaster of Baramita Primary School, Bissoonauth Bacchus, the Baramita Village has four appointed teachers for the 160 plus students. The Headmaster is aiming to reach the 200 student enrollment by September.
He explained that Consolidated Northwest Resources Incorporated (CNRI) which is a mining company has promised to extend the school and provide furniture in order to facilitate more students.
“We have 110 students attending classes regularly and it may vary, we have to get students in school and even their parents we want them to see the importance of education which is the biggest challenge that we face here.”
Noting that the Carib language is very difficult since there is no alphabet or sequence in which to learn the language, Bacchus said there is no structure in which to understand the language and thus a local interpreter will relate the concept to the students, until they understand the English language.
“Some students don’t really grapple with the English language, and we are trying to break that communication barrier…Baramita has a negative image through the health and economic situations  and the recreational aspects need to be developed to attract people and that is what the mining company is doing developing the area,” Bacchus explained.
Underscoring the benefits for teachers if they decide to teach in Baramita, Bacchus said that there is a proposal that at the end of five years a teacher would be given a small house or provided with a vehicle, an annual vacation, ration, and not forgetting other incentives provided by the Ministry of Education.
Chief Financial Officer of CNRI, Fedor Stovsky, said that the mining company is partnering with the community to develop its education facilities and the company is presently constructing a $20M recreational facility. However, the mining company plans to invest an overall $60M to fully develop the area as part of its corporate responsibility.

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