Systems, choices and a crackdown on carjacking rings

Feb 18, 2018 News

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By Leonard Gildarie

 

Call me a cynic or old fashion or whatever. I hate waste. The people of Guyana experienced some tough times. We have managed to build a resilience that has placed us right ahead of the rest of the Caribbean. The 80s, for some of the older folks, was a time of belt-tightening and lines for basic items, like oil. Guyana Stores and Resaul Maraj, next door to each other on Water Street, became household names for the lines.

We have done well in slowly building our infrastructure, albeit not as fast as we like. We have experienced corruption and incompetent engineers, and poorly worded local contracts that left us little recourse in penalising contractors.

Year after year, we hear complaints of poor work, yet the contractors are being blamed. The engineers have to be named and shamed, simple.

This past week, the Ministry of Education announced that it has commenced training of teachers in Region Three for the use of the Education Management Information System (EMIS). It was explained that the software is intended to improve information management and efficiency in schools.

The EMIS will enable teachers, and the Ministry of Education (MOE) policymakers to efficiently manage the education sector data and take effective measures to address key sector issues.

Addressing the opening of the workshop on Wednesday, Minister of Education Nicolette Henry said once there is valid data and information, changes can be made and support is given to implement policies that will transform the education systems. That transformation, she said can, in turn, create high-quality institutes of learning that will regain Guyana’s international reputation of producing accomplished, top-rated students.

Head of the Management Information Systems Unit (MIS), of the Ministry, Indar Singh explained software features include enrolment information, attendance, grade book, report card, transcripts, end of year processing, class portal, teacher web pages, parent portal, teacher information, time-tabling, and reporting.

This is big news.

We now have a tool that tells us where the weaknesses are. I am hoping that it can tell which subjects are problematic for students.

Over the last two years, the administration conducted assessments to determine why students were doing poorly in a number of subjects. A number of projects, as a result, were announced to fix the problems, including more teachers and extra lessons. The problem with that, I humbly submit, is whether we were able to sustain the momentum.

Data is important in determining our development.

Imagine for a second that the local NDC has $5M and for this particular year decided it was going to spend $4.5M to build a bridge that leads to five homes. Imagine that the community needed a market place that cost $4.8M that benefits all 3,000 residents. Which of the projects would take priority?

We have to conduct needs assessment and the findings are what nudge us to the right decisions. In order words, the use of data is what is required to take the decisions that are for the greater good for the country.

By extension, we can liken scenarios where Guyana is planning to go green but still sticks with its fuel-powered generators. What would determine whether we invest in a hydro as against wind turbines or natural gas-fired facilities?

Studies, which take into account reliability and costs, will have to be conducted.

It is how developed countries are doing things. Japan, for instance, is dealing with a shortage of lands. Homes are now forced to be smaller and efficient.

Policy makers have to think carefully of where to expand roads, whether a bridge is needed in a certain area and the long term benefits.

By the same vein, the use of data would be helpful in fighting crime.

In recent days, we see police making a major dent in a carjacking ring.

Kaieteur News reported that it is believed that more than 100 cars have been hijacked from owners in the last few months. Shocking to say the least!

The police would have been receiving information. The fact is, we are learning now, is that former policemen were involved in a well-organised ring.

In our society which is so small, the theft of 100-plus cars has to be alarming. How the police managed to move so swiftly, in a number of sustained coordinated strikes, is commendable.

We all know the importance of community policing.

The Soesdyke/Linden and Timehri area are dotted with many trails and hidden compounds.

We have to figure ways to work closely with our communities. People see things. People hear things. But people will not talk if there is a suspicion that police are involved.

Surely somebody had to know what was happening there.

Do we have data that would tell us whether the highway is a hotspot for crime? If so, did the police increase patrols or move more resources to that area?

Our use of data to guide the policies that will develop this country has to be grounded in current, up-to-date information. We therefore have to ensure that our systems are upgraded, properly archived and retrieved in a manner that can be readily analysed.

We cannot argue that we don’t know. There is tons of information of best practices out there. 

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