APNU gives fail grade to Learning Channel

Apr 08, 2014 News

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…says its limited reach lends to inequitable distribution of education

The inequitable distribution of educational materials to the nation’s children was underscored in the National Assembly last evening by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Chief Whip, Amna Ally. She said that Government spends $3M monthly to air the Learning Channel yet the reach is limited.
Ally said that one of APNU’s greatest concerns is “access to education and education for all Guyanese.” She said that money invested should be reflected in the returns but this is not the case with money invested in the Guyana Learning Channel.
According to Ally, in Region One, only residents in Mabaruma get the channel but its signal is poor. The Learning Channel in Region Seven has been available for over one year but is received by only one community.
Region Eight residents do not access the Learning Channel. Where it might have been accessible there is no electricity during the daytime. In Region Nine the communities that view the Learning Channel are Annai, Aranaputa and Quatamang. Nonetheless, Annai receives only pre-school or early childhood programmes. Eleven areas in the North Savannahs do not receive the channel for several reasons such as, TV antennas and electricity. In Lethem the station is the same as in the North and Central Savannahs.
“What access is there, therefore, for the so-called delivery of education via the Learning Channel? Are we not entitled to be the beneficiaries of taxpayers’ dollars? Or is it that friends and families of the government are entitled to construct their pants with long pockets. This Government must answer for this,” she stressed.
Last year, it was revealed in the National Assembly that TVG, owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, best friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, is being paid $3.6 million a month to put the Guyana Learning Channel on the air.
In April 2013, Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon said that to make the Learning Channel accessible to the entire country, former Education Minister Shaik Baksh was mandated by Bharrat Jagdeo’s Cabinet to redesign the project to ensure equitable distribution, taking into consideration connectivity and accessibility in the far-flung communities.
Redoing the design meant that contents of the Learning Channel would be broadcast terrestrially (on the ground) and via satellite. The terrestrial aspect is done by the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) on the coast, and TVG is being contracted to put it on air via satellite, to benefit those far-flung communities, he said.
However, from Ally’s presentation it does not appear that all far-flung communities are benefiting.
According to Ally, via Notice Paper 203, she requested Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand some questions on the Learning Channel in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine that access the Learning Channel as well as the programme guide.
“I did not want to question the Minister’s ability to monitor, but I want to let this National Assembly know that by your own actions you demonstrate your capabilities. The answer tendered for the programme guide was turbulently rude.
“I asked for the guide to be furnished to the National Assembly and the Minister tells me that it is on the channel 35 to 50 times per day. Mr. Speaker I am sorry you can’t blame me if the Minister is deeply challenged in her Ministry and can’t give proper answers which this house is entitled to get,” she stressed.
Ally asked the Minister to tell the National Assembly why a transmitter is in Karasabai but the materials for the construction of the tower are still at Annai for over a year.
“I wish to urge the government to embrace the C word as in Commitment and discard the other C word as in Corruption,” she said.
Infrastructure
According to Ally, this year, Government has allocated $2.9B for the purpose of infrastructure upgrades for schools and other educational facilities. However, she questions what were done in 2013 with the large sum budgeted for that period.
Even with the budgetary allocation to enhance the delivery of education, last year, students of Santa Rosa Primary School were forced to fetch water; and students of Kato were tasked with fetching wood for the hot meal programme, just to name a few examples.
Ally noted that last year, over $438M was budgeted for education in Region Eight but Chenapau, Toesnang and other schools in the Region suffered from inadequate furniture.
“Teachers’ quarters that have two VSOs from the UK do not have any furniture; the toilet and bathroom are not working; there is no light because they don’t have battery for solars there. Can somebody tell me what happened to the $438M for education in Region Eight?”
Ally argued that Ministers Manickchand and Whittaker and former Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ganga Persaud, must say where the money has gone.
“Can this PPP/C Government tell me whether discrimination is at work? Can this Government tell this National Assembly whether it is because Region Eight is under the political leadership of the AFC that it is stifling the people of that Region?
“Well, Mr. Speaker, I have news for the PPP/C Government. They will not get back the leadership of Region Eight. Rather they have more to lose than gain,” Ally stated.

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