Need for probe into these schools
IT has been brought to my attention that many teachers across secondary schools in New Amsterdam, and particularly one, are not marking students’ examination papers. Hence, they fill in ‘doctored’ or fictitious marks much to the disadvantage of the students. This should not be. Parents as well as the Ministry of Education need to be aware of this most unfortunate development in the education system in New Amsterdam and maybe in other parts of the country.  

Parents should go in to these schools when they are reopened to have a look at their children’s exam papers for this past August term examinations. They should demand to see same to check for any discrepancies in the marking. Students work very hard and study for their exams. Then why do some of our teachers have to do this most unprofessional act whether because they are either too lazy or don’t have time to mark their papers? Maybe some form of punishment by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) should be carried out on these persons in the system.

Then how come a certain New Amsterdam Head Mistress (acting) is staying home so often on medical leave (38 days to be exact—10 days more than what is allotted by the Ministry’s regulations) and she has a school to run? This same school today is malfunctioning to maximum capacity. There is no law and order there. This teacher chose to stay away from school for the past two weeks (while end of term exams were going on) but still found time (while on medical leave) to go to the school to pay teachers’ salaries. Someone from the Ministry of Health should look into her ‘illness’ and not grant her the leave. These things should not be.  

There must be a thorough investigation into this ‘malfunctioning’ school as soon as school reopens.
NAME WITHHELD 

No interest in partisan politics
IT is unfortunate that Mr. Ed Dayal Singh, in his letter to the Guyana Chronicle of July 4, 2008 in support of State-run buses, chose to refer to me in his opening sentence  as one writer “who is as pessimistic as the opposition party”. I can assure Mr. Dayal Singh that I am not a pessimist and have no interest in partisan politics. After more than forty years of independence, I expect Guyanese to be able to discuss and differ on public policy in an objective manner without personalizing the issue.

In my letter to which reference is made I stated “One cannot help but wonder if government owned buses is the viable long term solution to the passenger transportation problem of the country”. My letter was based both on hindsight and foresight. In other words, as the old Guyanese saying goes, “what you see in the day time, you don’t need lamp to see in the night time”.  If we look at the current situation with river crossing in the Berbice and the Essequibo rivers, we have present day evidence of the poor quality of service from a State-run public transportation system. 

Unlike Mr. Singh, I and many others never “hated” the privately owned and operated buses of the 1950s and 1960s. We owe a debt of gratitude to people like Lilboy, better known as Dost (meaning friend in Hindi), who operated Golden Boy 1 and 2 from Belfield to Georgetown and provided affordable transportation to us children from poor families in our daily commute to and from school.  And we mingled with the produce sellers and other ordinary folks, people just like those in our social circle, as we took our daily rides.     

In ending his letter, Mr. Singh writes “I wish to see the front of the Stabroek Market to be the main terminal once again as in the days of the 'yellow buses'. A beautiful, orderly place”. Well, those “yellow buses” were privately owned and operated by a Mr. Mohamed.
HARRY HERGASH

Does the AFC understand the issues?
IS there anyone in the Alliance For Change (AFC) who actually understands the issues for what they are? 

I seriously doubt this as the AFC says that Lindeners are being gouged by GPL when Lindeners are paying 1/10th the price of electricity that the rest of the country is paying and are also abusing the electricity system when their consumption is 3.5 times that of the average consumption of Georgetown.

So the AFC argues that the over G$250,000 per year in subsidies is right for the majority African population in Linden and they want to give Indian farmers (many of whom do not get electricity) a couple of seeds instead of a similar subsidy of G$250,000. I just hope these seeds are like the magic beans that Jack received when he sold his mother cow.

Then the AFC challenges the VAT at 16% without even understanding that the excess was from people who were not paying their taxes being brought into the taxation system. If the AFC says that it wants to reduce VAT at 16% then they need to also stipulate where they intend to make up the shortfall from.

Then there is the case that the AFC wants to take the prison out of Georgetown. This is such an obvious policy to make Georgetown "look good" when it is obvious that the prison is where there is a majority of crimes in Guyana.

If we aim to rehabilitate these prisoners after they have served their time their families and friends would play an important part in rehabilitation. So it is best that the prisoners have access to their families upon release.

Should the AFC go ahead with its plans to put the prison in a rural community then when the prisoners are released they will be in that rural community in the long term.

Next, the AFC will be telling Guyanese that they will take the Georgetown garbage and dump it in the rural communities. 

It would be best for Georgetown to keep its many problems and not push them onto the other struggling communities as Georgetown has got the lion’s share of the investment in the last 30 years while the rural communities have struggled to get development.

Then there is the issue of polygraphing the Joint Services who were in the Lindo Valley location. The AFC does not understand that Arokium also needs to be polygraphed as well so as to find out why he believed the woman who called him and the man who called him before the dead miners in the Lindo Valley were reported and found.

How come this woman and man were able to convince Arokium that it was the JS when it is obvious that they knew who were killed and where they were killed before everyone else? This means that they had to be at the location as witnesses or they had to know the killers personally. So why is Arokium questioning the JS but letting these "eyewitnesses" off the hook when it is obvious that they had to know the killers personally?

Then there is the Roger Khan issue when the AFC says that both the Government and Roger Khan are under trial. It is very convenient for the AFC to blame the "Indian" Roger Khan when it is obvious that any phantom squad came about as a direct result of the gunmen killing people and targeting the police with the suspected blessing of the Main Opposition. Yet, the AFC is willing to let these gunmen off the hook because they are African Guyanese when the AFC says that we must all look at the root cause of these gunmen killing people. 

Then we come to the travesty of taxpayers monies being used to fund a College whose policies were to enroll primarily African Guyanese to the detriment of the other races. Had people done their homework then they would realise that should the Government give taxpayers funds to such a college that the Critchlow Labour College would be taken to the ERC to balance its enrolment policy.

Then there is the strange absence of the AFC (who claims to not be using racial politics) which does not come out and lambast the police force, the army, the educational establishment, the judiciary, the utilities companies, the Public Servants, etc for their racist hiring, promotion and firing policies. I feel that the AFC, while trying to promote itself as impartial, should point out that the natural attrition rate should have balanced these institutions over the last 16 years. So there must be something else that is preventing these institutions from being balanced. Where is the impartial AFC in these matters? 

The AFC has targeted "racial politics". But, the AFC has fallen into a big hole when it says that cutting the Lindeners (mainly Africans) G$250,000 subsidy is unconscionable (even when the Lindeners are paying 1/10th the current residential rate not to mention the mainly African electricity workers getting a much cheaper rate.  

I suggest that farmers reduce the price of their produce to their friends and families and charge the rest of Guyanese 10 times what they charge their friends and families to highlight the injustice of Lindeners getting 3.5 (consumption) times 10 (rate) equals 1/35th the cost of electricity that the average Guyanese gets.

Bet the AFC complains!
SEAN ADAMS

Look at every stranger
GIVEN the events of massacres in Lusignan, Bartica and Lindo Creek, it would seem necessary for the population of Guyana to start practicing the Israeli mentality of looking at every stranger in their street, village or township as a potential threat to their safety until they can establish that the individual or individuals have a legitimate reason to be where they are. They should always be on the lookout.

This may seem like a siege mentality, and though it has not provided 100% safety for the Israeli public, a lot of attacks have been prevented.

I would also suggest that the multi billionaires in the country, who are constant targets of hold ups and other crimes, contribute to a fund that would enhance the salaries of the law enforcement personnel. They should keep in constant contact with the police station in their area to find out what are the needs of the police and help to improve the facilities.

Governments can do only so much.
KESHAW NARINE

We will return to beautiful Guyana
I recently visited Guyana (for 4 days) after 17 years. I was sceptical at first, concerned first and foremost about the security situation in Guyana. But I was pleasantly surprised. My family and I felt safe, and we had a great time. I forgot how truly beautiful Guyana is. We will definitely return.

However, I was very upset that Caribbean Airlines refused to accept GUYANA currency on their flight from Guyana to Port-of-Spain. After all, they make money flying passengers in and out of Guyana, but yet refuse to accept its currency. I feel someone should look into this. It is an insult to the Guyanese community at large.

I would be interested in finding out if and what can be done to change this.
RAJ SHARMA

Happy that all children will be placed
I was concerned about student placement after the National Grade Six Assessment which revealed the country’s cream.

My concern specifically was for those low scorers and what would become of them.

However, I was duly informed that all the students who attained low marks will be placed at a ‘secondary level’ of an institution and to my understanding these are the primary tops and community high schools.

I am now feeling a bit more optimistic having learnt that more resources are going to be put into these centres so they can be upgraded to meet the standards that will help our young children to gain a better education. I was also advised that all the primary tops will be converted into discreet secondary schools giving children a better opportunity to develop their skills.

These children may be slow learners. All they need is the guidance and attention to move them along and I feel heartened to note that efforts are being made to provide them with this service.
ROSHANIE KOWLESSAR