Policy does insufficient for education in the interior

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From the policy side, little is still being done for education in the interior. It is understandable that the residents of this area are complaining and feel neglected, while the local communities show great potential. “This must change soon,” says Wilgo Valies, former union leader and active member of DA’91, on the program The Table of Suriname suriname and Rasonic TV.
During the interview, Valies discussed the problems in education and what, in his opinion, should be changed. He emphasized that everything must be mapped out and that people should receive all necessary facilities. Then, according to Valies, they won’t need to move en masse to the city to receive education.
Not only in the interior but also in all districts, institutions need to be set up with sufficient staff and facilities to catch up with the backlogs. Another important issue that the education expert highlighted is the matter of school dropouts. They should not be left behind and must be brought back into the educational system.
As an example, he mentioned that this group could learn a trade, allowing them to continue contributing to the development of society. Valies noted that the leadership of DA’91 will soon hold a press conference to outline the party’s plans for education. The former union leader said that the new educational system itself is not a problem, but without the right conditions, it will never work well in his opinion.
Teachers need to receive sufficient training to understand and explain this system to the students. According to him, the training institutions were not involved in implementing the changes. This has ultimately caused the necessary problems.
Valies stated that he is not against innovations, but that they should have been well-prepared by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture. The DA’91 member sees similarities between the new system and Finland’s system. However, he emphasized that in Finland, the right conditions were in place, which is not the case in Suriname. Education in Finland is so attractive that many, according to him, want to work in that sector.
In Suriname, the shortage of qualified vocational teachers is also a major issue. The government must first have everything in order to make the system a success. Valies further criticized the fact that the problems in the education sector have grown, partly due to the dictatorial behavior of the minister toward the sector.