MINISTER within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, while  on a two-day outreach  over the weekend, interacted with  residents of Sand Hill, Wairuni, Calcuni and Kwakwani, Upper Berbice River (Region 10), on issues that are affecting them.

During a very informative meeting with the residents, Minister Whittaker reportedly enlightened them on some of the programmes and policies government has been implementing to improve the standards of living of people in hinterland and riverine communities, with specific emphasis being placed on health, education and infrastructure.
Minister Whittaker said the Local Government Ministry has been working very closely with local government bodies, which are the Village Councils, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) and the Regional Democratic Councils (RDC) in ensuring  people’s  needs are met.
One common concern in the communities was the availability of trained teachers in the education system.
At Sand Hill, the residents said the standard of education has declined due to the fact  that when persons are sent to be trained, some of them do not return to the village to render their services.
One resident said that while Government has provided the necessary infrastructure for which they are grateful, when the children complete primary school and are allotted  a secondary, sometimes the parents cannot afford to send them.

Minister Whittaker alluded to government’s policy of  ensuring that every child receives   primary education, and explained that it is  now moving towards achieving secondary education in keeping with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
He noted that even as Government is doing its best in the delivery of education for all,  parents must invest in the lives of their children. “Trained teachers are not necessarily the solution…A teacher can give their heart and soul, but once they don’t have the cooperation of the parents and the community, it daunts their spirits,” he said.
However, Whittaker assured residents that the Ministry of Education will be engaged on the teachers’ issue.
Concerns were also raised about a  replacement for the community health worker or medex when those persons proceed on leave.
Whittaker advised that the community should engage the Ministry of Health and identify persons who would want to be trained in that capacity, and to encourage the community health workers to be trained as midwives in case the medex is not available. Moreover, he said his ministry will make representation to the Health Ministry on the issue.

(GINA)