The Region 9 community of Massara celebrates its first secondary school, opening new doors and opportunities for hinterland studenACROSS Guyana, the value of education is being reinforced through new educational initiatives, state-of-the-art schools and other initiatives. The village of Massara, a growing community in North Rupununi, Region 9, is one of the many Indigenous communities at the forefront of Guyana’s education development. This week, Pepperpot Magazine sat down with lifelong Massara resident, teacher, and community leader Ravis Bartholemew, who shared what the first day of school was like in the village’s first-ever secondary school, how parents and teachers felt, and the impact it will have not just on the community, but hopefully on Guyana at large.

Education is nothing new to Massara teacher Ravis Bartholemew. Born and raised in the community, Ravis found his calling as an educator when he was just sixteen. After returning from two years of study in Brazil, he came back to Lethem, where he began teaching as a volunteer. “During COVID, I came home to the village to see how I could serve the community. I started to teach voluntarily. I did my service. I wasn’t getting paid, and I wasn’t asking for any payment. During that time, students were coming to school here, but they were homeschooled.”
Following his volunteer teaching in the community, Ravis continued teaching in local communities at various primary schools across the region. With communities spread out, Ravis initially faced challenges in finding employment at a school. “So I applied in April 2022 to start teaching. A little over a month later, my application came back. I was appointed to a school, but I wasn’t able to go.” He persisted, and after moving around several schools, Ravis returned to his community to teach. “I started at Massara Primary. I transferred to another school in Aramputa. I worked there less than a year, but a full term. So after the secondary school was established, I came back to Massara Secondary.”
Now a modern languages teacher, Ravis says that Massara Secondary is a vision turned reality. Secondary education has long been a goal for the community’s leaders and a dream for its children. Recounting the challenges children in Massara faced in accessing education, Ravis stated, “Before Massara got the secondary school, we were lobbying for this for years. It was in our ten-year village improvement plan. Before that, students had to go to Annai Secondary. During my days, around 2009 to 2011, it was much more difficult because our peers used to take us to secondary school on bicycles.”
Interwoven with the challenge of education is the challenge of accessibility and transportation. For a community of a few hundred, travelling to nearby Annai was difficult. Although the addition of a tractor eased commuting for some children, it remained a hurdle for many. “Our tractor used to transport students to school. People stopped going by bicycle and started using the tractor. Over the years, buses began to come, but it still posed a difficulty for students going to Annai Secondary. They would be away from their parents. Now, having our own school here is everything we needed. It’s a dream come true. It’s a milestone we are celebrating,” he said.
With a new school comes resources once unimaginable in the hinterland. The modern facility, outfitted with ten advanced classrooms, accommodates some 180 hinterland children and includes all the modern additions found in schools along the coast, highlighting the importance of equality regardless of location. “We have initiatives like digital literacy being introduced into the school. I think this will help advance education in the hinterland, helping students learn to read. By the time they start secondary school, they’ll have basic reading skills,” Ravis added.

The opening of Massara Secondary has also lifted a financial and emotional burden from many families. “This has eased the burden on parents who had to send their children to Annai Secondary. Students can now stay at home, and parents can provide for their children locally. The government has plans in place for transportation, so students will have easier access to school regularly, without causing financial strain on families.”
Those commitments, Ravis explained, extend beyond Massara itself. Through government support, children from several surrounding communities will be transported to school—a seemingly simple gesture with a significant impact on children from communities miles away. “The government will provide transportation for students from Yakarinta, Toka, and Kwaimatta. They committed to helping us with fuel on a monthly basis, which was a relief. Parents can now send their children with confidence, without worrying about financial constraints,” he said.
The promise of a secondary school represents more than classrooms and libraries. It signals that hinterland education is being prioritised. Developments in Massara are part of a larger shift across Guyana. Education Month’s theme, ‘Quality Education for National Development’, resonates because it reflects not just an urban or coastal agenda, but the lived realities and challenges of villages like Massara. In Ravis’ words, “Literacy is the key to knowledge, confidence, and opportunities. It empowers individuals to dream bigger.” From hinterland to coast, education is shaping tomorrow—not just as a slogan, but as a tangible transformation in communities where classrooms were once out of reach.
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