-residents call for the return of transportation
Parents of students attending Whitewater Primary School, Region 1, Barima-Waini, are calling on the Government to address the condition under which children are forced to get to and from school which is approximately two hours walking distance from home.
In a Facebook post yesterday one resident Cleveland Desouza posted a picture of children walking through the rain to get to the Whitewater Primary School so miles away.
“These little ones here foot it every day from Bamboo Landing to White Water Primary. Through the rain or the sun 2 hours walking to and 2 hours from, the struggle is real. Lend a hand if you can. This pic displays through the rain,” Cleveland said.
Another resident added that, “the Village have tractor yes, and provide transportation for a while and then stop for reason like driver and fuel expenses.” Only last week sections of the press in Guyana reported that the Government had scrapped the school bus initiative which saved parents approximately $72,000 per year to send one child to school.
Social media posts over the past few days have shown pictures of school buses all across Guyana that have been abandoned, left to rot near seawalls and in front of Regional Offices by the Government.
A brainchild of Former President David Granger, the Five ‘B’s Initiative was launched soon after the APNU+AFC Government took office in 2015. The program which involved providing school children with: Breakfast, Books, Bicycles, Boats, and Buses- saw the Government in collaboration with the private sector providing school children with the resources needed to get to and from school and ensure they stay in school.
Venus Jordan, another resident of the community commented, “when they started the village tractor was transporting them. But for some reason or the other, they have to walk now.” Further, she expressed concern for the safety of the children, “the trail is very bad and dangerous since they can meet with big cats and other things. However, a parent will walk with her baby on her hip with them every day. She will sit at the bleacher in the community and wait until school finishes and walk back with them to ensure they are protected, she asserted.
The residents of White Water want the government to immediately look into their plight by providing transportation to take their children to and from school.
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