Our children need education for survival

Oct 16, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

A recent glance into the compound of one of the leading educational institutions of Guyana, Queen’s College, revealed a shocking sight- most of the trees in the yard, several of whose shade I had lounged under as a young student decades ago, had been dreadfully mutilated. Entire limbs had been chopped off, tops shorn, some literally halved in size. These were not diseased trees, nor were they posing any danger to human, building, or wires nearby. However, these trees had been hacked mercilessly, some down to just stumps in the ground. I daresay several of them will not recover from this butchery and will soon die.
QC is not the only culprit however- examples of tree butchery abound all around the ‘Garden City’ of Georgetown. The mutilation of the hundred year old silk cotton tree in the Carnegie School of Home Economics compound is a recent example. As noted in a previous letter, it appears that many Guyanese have little regard or respect for the trees in their environment although trees are essential to life. That such tree damage could happen at one of the premier educational institutions in the nation makes me question the level of understanding of those in charge of decision-making at these places. Are these individuals so unaware of the role of trees in maintaining a healthy ecosystem? Do they not know that trees help keep the environment cool and that arbitrary cutting of them by untrained individuals causes them harm? What messages are they transmitting to the young minds they’re responsible for training when such butchery of these workhorses of the environment is allowed? It is sad really, to see examples of such disconnectedness from the natural world.
I’m no arborist, but I know that pruning a tree is not the same as cutting hair. Clearly, whoever was responsible for this tree cutting exercise knew next to nothing about proper tree trimming techniques. A quick search on Google turned up several informative videos on tree pruning, as well as tips from experienced arborists about what to do and not do in order to maintain a healthy tree. What was done to the trees in the QC compound was exactly what these experts advised *not* to do.
In a nation like ours that has trumpeted its environmental record internationally to gain funds, and that’s pursuing eco-tourism and a green economy, it’s incomprehensible to me such mutilation of healthy trees is allowed to occur. Planting saplings – while necessary and commendable- does not mean that mature trees can be cut willy nilly. The fact is that a healthy mature tree sequesters far more carbon than a young sapling. Seemingly simple things like this can make a big difference in the fight against climate change- something which threatens all of life on Earth and which we should all be concerned about.
Why is there’s no official policy mandating protection of the trees in our ‘Garden City’? Why does the Ministry of Education allow untrained people to hack at the trees in school compounds? A skeptic might be tempted to believe that talk of eco this and green that by the authorities is simply gum flapping. If we really care about the environment, we need to do much more. I urge the responsible parties at the Ministry of Education and other entities to create and implement such tree-protection policies forthwith. This is the education for survival that our children need today.

Respectfully,
Sherlina Nageer

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