Secondary students in Hinterland skipping classes due to hunger

Nov 09, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

As a concerned Guyanese who has a passion for children’s education and the holistic development of the country, I would like to bring attention and give suggestions for a burning issue.

Before I begin, I must applaud the government for providing hot meals to nursery and primary school children in the interior; where they receive sumptuous meals as they immerse in academics and cognitive learning.

However, from interacting with poor students who are the majority and having family members who attend secondary schools in the interior, this cohort of youngsters does not share the same experience. They face a challenge, where most go hungry not having lunch daily at school, especially those that travel from very far away; resulting in some teenagers being reluctant to learn and preferring to stay away from school after midday because they are hungry.

Hence, my suggestion to the relevant education authorities is to look into the matter and try to provide lunch for these teenage children. They need it in order to function well in their higher learning at the secondary level. On this note, I would suggest the Government use some of the oil funds or tap into investment from other resources, to set up a hot meal programme for our hinterland secondary school children, who are in dire need of it.

Yours sincerely,

Medino Abraham MSc.

Researcher on Indigenous Education in Guyana

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hinterland, hunger, learning, Medino Abraham MSc, Researcher on Indigenous Education in Guyana

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