The pupils who are enrolled at OS Sipaliwini and Alalapadu, which are located in the southern part of the Sipaliwini District, have not attended school for 7 weeks because the teachers of these primary schools still have not been flown to their workplaces. Helima Poese, director of General Education, announced that the teachers who are stationed at Kwamalasemutu left the city on Tuesday. She also explained that the Ministry of Education is dependent on air traffic and that the teachers can only leave when the local companies organize a flight for them.
The director hopes that the teachers can leave soon so that the pupils can finally go to school. She pointed out that the teachers have already put together a crash course so that they could make up for lost time. Several parents expressed their concern as their children still can’t go to school. A concerned father pointed out that the hinterland is always neglected. “Why is it possible for the schools that are located in the other districts to start on October 1st, while the pupils from the hinterland, especially those who reside in the southern part of Sipaliwini, still can’t go to school?”
One of the teachers is still waiting for a flight to take her to her school. She pointed out that it will be a huge challenge to give all of the lessons that the Ministry of Education wants them to give in the first semester as there are only five weeks left. She explained that the education gap keeps getting bigger because of the fact that the schools that are located in the hinterland never start on time.