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More than a year after the Ministry of Education’s survey of schools with pit latrines was made public, the promise to address this issue seems to have stalled and currently, according to reports, the lack of proper sanitary facilities has resulted in students of Kariako Primary School in Barama, Region One currently attending classes for only half a day. The survey, made public last year September, revealed that 77 hinterland schools, serving over 5,000 children, still had pit latrines. Kariako Primary was the only school in Region One on the list and at the time had an enrolment of 218 children: 115 boys and 103 girls, who all used the single pit latrine on the premises. It appears that the only change to date has been in enrolment, which is now up to 236. According to a statement by We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) leader Azruddin Mohamed, which appealed to Minister of Education Sonia Parag, Regional Chairman Brentol Ashley and Regional Education Officer Sewchand to address the issue, the school has one pit latrine, which both teachers and students have been using.
