New school year, same old problems 

Sep 03, 2024 Editorial

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Kaieteur News – Yesterday the new school year commenced amid lingering concerns over the poor conditions of some of the schools, the 10 % salary package imposed on teachers, sweltering heat in the classrooms that are not equipped with fans or air conditioning and the horrendous traffic situation made worse by the ad hoc construction of bridges and roads along the East Coast Demerara and other places.

The education minister as usual was out taking selfies with some of the students and the general feeling of excitement was in the air as children return to school after several months out of the classroom. Regarding the traffic situation, to get to the classroom has now been reduced to a masterpiece of inaction, given the abundance of vehicles, and relative scarcity of alternative roads. The alarming reality of Guyana’s roads, with an eye on Georgetown and the East Bank and East Coast distils to this: more haste means more intervals of non movement.  Too many cars and commuters and too much congestion make for a difficult beginning to each school day.

Then there is the heat, which our children have to endure. Only last week the Hydrometeorological Service of the Ministry of Agriculture predicted above-normal temperatures across Guyana from September to November 2024. This period, traditionally the warmest months of the year, particularly in September and October, is expected to experience even higher-than-average temperatures, raising concerns for public health, agriculture, and livestock. The Hydrometeorological Service warns that the increased likelihood of extreme heat and heat wave days could significantly impact vulnerable groups, including the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing health conditions. The heat in Guyana has always been heavy, for this is the Tropics, but not this heavy.

The complaints and laments are numerous, and have a common characteristic: young citizens and older ones pushed to the brink. When the tightness of traffic and the torridness of the consuming heat are joined, they lead to the worst beginning imaginable for each daily trek. From the roads there is roasting, which leaves all wringing wet and weakened. This is the worst physical state to begin a school day for both the ones being taught, and those doing the teaching.

With an eye to the progress of the clock, and the arc of the sun, classrooms have transformed into living hells. Classrooms have become virtual furnaces, and extremely challenging spaces for teaching.  There is more than an educational concern as to the thorough and satisfactory delivery of the curriculum. For there is now what amounts to a possible health concern. Young children are distracted by the heat, and pregnant teachers could be putting themselves at risk, while older teachers are drained early of their energies.  The point is that in the learning environment, all struggle, as they collide with the unrelenting heat in the classroom.

Fans help to a limited extent, but the overheated air is simply recirculated. Air conditioning would be an insurmountably expensive consideration all at one shot, but could be done in phases. Undoubtedly, this introduces energy bills into operating costs. The construction of new school buildings re: where they are located, how they are built and powered, could all make a difference.  Meanwhile, the school apparatus swelters and shrinks, while learning plods forward.

Outside of the heat and traffic and the poor physical conditions of some of the classrooms, the new school term also put the spotlight on the thousands of children who would be leaving school, having just received their CSEC and CAPE results to enter the world of work. These are the people who are going to be pounding the streets and knocking on the doors of the various office doors with the hope of gaining employment. Many would have the basic qualifications to work but because of the nature of many places of employ, there would simply be no vacancies.

In the private sector there is the conscious decision to cut back on employment because the economic turnover is simply not adequate enough for these companies to keep hiring people. And a few businessmen have been quite forthright in stating that some of the people seeking employment are simply not qualified to hold down certain positions. Of course, there are the teaching and nursing positions. Many of these job seekers may gravitate to the Education Ministry. One place that would readily accept some of them is the Guyana Police Force, but parents are somewhat reluctant to have their children become professional law enforcers. They cite the threat of violence and the low pay which is a disincentive. Something needs to be done for the school leavers. If they fail to gain employment, many could easily become ready recruits for the drug dealers. The drug dealers can easily offer the kind of money that would attract any unemployed youth. It was hoped that the new school year would have ushered in new beginnings, but from the look of things it was the same old.

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• classroom, Construction, East Coast Demerara, lingering, schools

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