A nation is mourning the passing of its best educator Ms. Desrey Fox. A nation which did not realise fully until her death, how much she meant to it. And when it did, the tears flowed freely, and even the recalcitrant ones repented then, that they had given her so much trouble during her tenure as Minister in the Ministry of Education and the long years when she had to fight against discrimination of the disabled children, to give them their freedom and a hope for happiness.

I have never had the honour and privilege to meet and talk with the great Educator and children advocate .I was always moved and deeply touched by the sincere way in which she expressed her beliefs, whether she was discussing Amerindian issues or women and children issues that impacted on all Guyanese. Desrey Fox was admired and loved by the Guyanese people. The late minister had a sound knowledge of the education sector in Guyana; she had used her wealth of experience to improve conditions for poor children. This “country woman” who was born in an Amerindian village was a” grass roots “woman. She had her own style in dealing with education problems. One of her vision for the education sector of Guyana was to increase the learning of all poor children which would have resulted in an improved quality of life.

Ms. Desrey Fox has always worked assiduously to have unity among the oppositions, since she believed that this was the way forward. Our country and the Education sector in particular suffered a great loss by her passing. We, as a people, will have to work on the foundation she has laid to continue building the education sector of our country. Her demise came as a shock to all. Her exuberance and simplicity encouraged those who came into contact with her to be steadfast and relentless under pressure and to be hopeful while working to achieve better goals.

In her own aggressive and indomitable style, she has touched the lives of those who worked or associated with her in some way. She will be remembered by all as a fighter, all the way, in the interest of education.
MOHAMED KHAN
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