By Margaret Burke

IN GUYANA today, there are some grave distractions that are occupying far too many school children and removing their focus from the learning experiences that are so crucial to their overall growth and development, and also that of the country.There is no one causal factor for this problem facing young people in today’s society. There are problems all over the world, but this particular problem facing Guyana seems to be unique; and even if it were not, there is still need to urgently address the situation.

Education Month (September) 2016 was launched under the theme “Each child matters: Stakeholders unite for the enhancement of education.” Reports that surfaced after the launch indicated that stakeholders being talked about include a rightly accepted set of people, some through the organisations they represent. These include parents, community leaders, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious organisations and development partners.

Well, how about the mini bus drivers being seen as stakeholders too? This is a new twist to the whole scenario, but perhaps one of the most important twists because a very large percentage of parents depend on this form of public transportation to take their children ‘safely’ to and from school each school day. It therefore stands to reason that parents ought to care about what takes place during that short or not-so-short journey that their children unavoidably take every school day, some utilizing additional time because of having to go to and from lessons.

THE SCHOOL

Other than the home, the school is the second most influential place of learning for every child. Many children are sent to school at least five days per week to learn. It is the desire of most, if not all, parents to see their children reach the pinnacle in terms of education – learning and achieving in academics, sports, culture and the arts, and so on. And even though some children may not get the best meals, clothing, and even the best shelter, most parents still desire the best for them.

The Government, too, has good intentions for the children in school, and seeks to demonstrate this in various ways. However, this plan must be widened to talk about, educate, and even attack where necessary, some of the ills of the society that are ‘pulling’ or ‘pushing’ children away from the curriculum, and causing many of them to lose their focus.

THE ‘MINI BUS CULTURE’

While there are a few large buses plying the Linden/Soesdyke route, and a few more scattered across the country — some directly there to help school children — the major form of public transportation in Guyana for school children as well as workers and other adults still remains the mini bus.

In addition to transporting passengers, these buses also create a much needed source of income for both drivers and conductors or conductresses. Added to all of this are the auto dealers, who constantly sell these buses; and also the Government, to whom much tax/duty has to be paid. Clearly, all are involved.

However, the ‘mini bus culture’ cannot be underestimated. The Guyana Police Force has been paying some serious attention to the social problem of loud, explicitly vulgar music that has become the ‘engine’ which moves many of these buses – especially those that transport school children.

Very little has changed, though some mini bus operators (drivers and conductors) have become more subtle while others still defy this order by using more sophisticated equipment to play the music, which at times also includes the DVD player – to make things more explicit. In Georgetown, many of these buses ply the East, West, North and South Ruimveldt routes, besides the Kitty/Campbellville route, among other areas. The same thing occurs in many other parts of Guyana, including many areas on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.

SCHOOL CHILDREN

So obvious it is that some of these mini bus drivers and their conductors are determined to prey especially on the young, more vulnerable commuters that they sometimes refuse to pick up adults.

Now, when children are subjected to such loud and explicitly vulgar music, which cannot and should not be mentioned in this newspaper, what kind of mental preparedness could they have as they enter the school door to get engaged in academic work and to learn?

But the problem does not stop at just ‘noise’ in some of these buses; and this is even more worrisome. There is the aspect that is called “small up yourself,” in which case these school children are encouraged to sit very tight, and in some cases to even sit on each other. All this time, the explicitly vulgar music is being played – at times being interpreted by DVD or small screen TV, which would have interpretive actions on display. Persons have even reported that in addition to the explicit music and interpretations, schoolchildren are sometimes subjected to the actual sexual intercourse happening in the bus.

SUBTLE DESTROYER OF OUR CHILDREN

Any sensible adult making their journey in a bus in which the situation still persists leaves that bus feeling a grave sense of sadness and violation; being seriously concerned at the destruction of our school children who have to use these buses to go to school – to learn!

This very ‘instrument’ that was encouraged into Guyana to bring transportation relief to children and adults, in some cases, is subtly becoming the destroyer of these children. For those who do not travel in the mini bus, make no mistake: in many cases, those who are taken to school by parents or under other supervised conditions can be — and in many cases are still — affected by this situation at school, at the level of social interaction.

The problem of peer pressure and learned behaviour will still be an obvious factor, from which some children may find it hard to escape.

“CORK-BALL” AND “PIT-BULL”

In addition to the issues already identified, persons from the school administration have to contend with the situation of lateness. Many of these same children are sometimes very late for school, because they will not go into any of the so-called “cork-ball” buses that may stop to transport them to school; it must be “pit-bull” or nothing. Some of these children are observed standing up all over the place – sometimes in groups — waiting for the “pit-bull” to ‘devour’!

The other major problem is the likelihood of accidents occurring. With the loud noise, there is speeding – speeding of a packed bus of school children. Many adults have observed that 25, and in some cases 30, children would be (willingly) packed into these buses.

One way or another, identifying these noncompliant drivers and conductors – which is not difficult — would go a long way in ‘saving the day’ for many children, who have great potential which can still be salvaged. Guyana can ill-afford to have an expanding set of delinquent young adults.