Better access to school for Akawini students
─ village receives new boat engine
─ to aid with transportation of students, teachers, cooks to get to and from school
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, March 17, 2019
Over 50 students from the village of Akawini will now find it easier travelling to and from school.
This was made possible following a donation of a new boat engine along with other essential boat supplies by Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton.
The minister and his team met Akawini’s Toshao, David Williams, on March 16, at the Charity Market (Region 2) to hand over the new 15 horsepower outboard motor engine. Additionally, Williams collected 15 gallons of Castrol gasoline for the boat engine, bottles of engine oil and twelve brand new life jackets to assist in the safety of the passengers in the boat.
“I’m not only overjoyed that the community is benefiting from it but moreover the school children. This is the policy of the government where all the children in this country should have access to quality education,” Minister Norton remarked.
This action resulted from a meeting between the minister and the residents of Akawini, where they voiced their concerns about the lack of proper boat engines which prevented children and teachers from attending school regularly.
According to Toshao Williams, the engine will be a great help since the children will no longer have to walk to the stelling. It will also allow the boat operators to meet them at various pickup points to transport them to and from their destinations.
It will also aid in the transporting of the three cooks who are commissioned by the “Hot Meal Programme” to assist in preparing meals for the children and teachers in the hinterland community.
Minister Norton noted that under the previous administration, the Hot Meal Programme was restricted to a small number of hinterland schools. Today, he said, every school in the hinterland has cooks who provide both breakfast and lunch to the students.
He also reflected that a few years ago, it was unheard of for students to “travel on quality roads to access quality education” in their regions. He referenced this to the improvements in the travelling conditions of the students in the hinterland village Princeville, in Region 8, noting, “we can safely say that we have a bright future for Guyana”.
Alleya Hamilton
Images by Akeem Peters