Rupununi’s problems need to be urgently dealt with

Jul 31, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,

Please publish my letter so that the young people of the Rupununi can have their voice heard like in any other part of the country. Region 9 – Upper Takutu,Upper Essequibo, is the largest administrative region in our country. The logistics of reaching out to people here in the Rupununi is a serious challenge. The geographical layout and lack of reliable transportation and communications between our five sub-districts presents many problems for our people.
Students attending both primary and secondary schools in the Rupununi are at great disadvantage as compared to their coastal counterparts who have readily available information technology at their disposal. The students here in the Rupununi have no access to internet service to do research on their SBA’s, and as a means to improve their grades at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the National Grade Six assessment (NGSA) respectively.
They have been marginalised from the mainstream of opportunities to be on par with other academics at the national level. The absence of a grade twelve class (form six) at either of our four secondary schools in Region 9 makes the education system even more complex for our students who are desirous of sitting the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (Cape) to take their education to another level. And ione has to factor in the prohibitive costs attached for them to travel to Georgetown to complete their studies and write same.
The lack of information and application forms to attend the University of Guyana and other higher learning institutions are unavailable to suitable candidates.
Teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse are of a great concern to our region, in particular to the St. Ignatius Secondary School where drugs are found on students and go unreported.
Our young people migrate illegally to neighbouring Brazil to seek employment opportunities. Suicide is prevalent in the various villages and is allowed to go unnoticed by the relevant authorities. There is no legal aid for our young people and most importantly, Region 9 is without a Culture, Youth and Sports officer. Editor, but most are more than willing to attend special workshops and training programms to educate themselves on some of the social-ills that confront our young people of today.
Education on domestic violence, trafficking in person (TIP) and other serious related matters of concern to our people are much needed to be re-introduced, expeditiously into our hinter-land regions where our indigenous people are most vulnerable to these things.
These initiatives must not be seen as a talk show but as a service line and intervention by our Government with adequate facilitation for strengthening community capacity for action in a collaborative and holistic manner, so as to garner core results. Editor, however there seems to be some glimmer of hope on the horizon for our young people of the Rupununi.
Not so long ago, our young deputy Mayor of Lethem, Ms.Maxine Welch and youth activist, Mr.Rayan Belgrave of Georgetown engaged our youths in a number of meetings to discuss some of the social issues that have affecting them in the various communities where they live. What was commendable about Mr. Belgrave in one of his remarks at a meeting, of which I attended was that he was not in the Rupununi to market or sell the Guyana Youth And Student Movement(GYSM) the youth arm of the PNCR, of which he is the present chairman. He explained that he was there to support youth initiatives in an organised way.
Anyway, Mr.Belgrave interaction with the young people of the Rupununi had brought to light the many problems they have endured for the many years, including the lack of recreational opportunities such as cultural programmes, underutilized sport facilities with no sport equipment, and other social issues. Editor, I trust that this move made by this two young leaders of our beloved country is a genuine commitment towards youth development which will not only bring relief in the hearts and minds of our young people of the Rupununi, but may produce resonance and serve as a catalyst for other youths or the various hinterland regions.
I conclude by congratulating these two energetic and charismatic young people for the openness and responsiveness from our ideas to nurture this dynamic work force they have put together in the interest and well being of our young people of the Rupununi.
Mark Anthony Rodrigues

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Rupununi’s problems need to be urgently dealt with

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