Minister Currie: “Shortages in education have been cultivated for years”

The problems and shortages within Surinamese education did not arise overnight and therefore cannot be resolved in the short term either. This was emphasised by Minister Dirk Currie of Education, Science and Culture on Wednesday, ahead of the meeting of the Council of Ministers.

“The shortages in education have been cultivated over the years,” the minister stated. According to him, society must be aware that the current problems are the result of developments that have accumulated over several years.

The minister therefore tempered expectations of a quick solution. “We will not be able to do everything within one year,” Currie said.

Teacher shortage remains major challenge

According to Currie, one of the biggest bottlenecks is the persistent shortage of teachers. Education is facing a significant outflow of staff, while the ministry is seeking solutions to reduce the shortage.

As part of this approach, Currie has sent a letter to all ministries where teachers are employed. He wants these teachers to return to education to help address the staff shortages.

In addition, the government has decided to fully waive tuition costs for students at pedagogical institutes. With this, it hopes to encourage more students to choose teacher training.

However, Currie warned that these measures will not produce immediate results. According to him, it will still take some time before the teacher shortage is eliminated.

The remuneration of education staff also plays an important role, according to the minister. He believes teachers should be better valued in order to make the profession more attractive.

Poor condition of schools and teachers’ housing

In addition to the staff shortage, the poor condition of many school buildings and teachers’ housing is also a major problem. According to Currie, insufficient attention has been paid to the maintenance of these facilities for years.

“I receive photos of schools every day, where the ceilings are collapsing,” the minister said. He acknowledged that the situation at various schools is worrying and stressed that the ministry is working on improvements.

Currie announced that 61 schools will be completely renovated. Of these projects, 31 have now been put out to tender. In addition, 96 new schools are planned, according to the minister.

The minister stressed that both the renovation of existing school buildings and the construction of new schools will take time.

According to Currie, society must take into account that restoring education is a lengthy process. According to him, the problems have arisen over many years and cannot be eliminated within a few days or months.