Dear Editor,

At no time whatsoever could I have imagined that a section of the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) land located at Onderneeming in Region 2 would have become a ‘forested’ area as can now be seen aback of the western end of the compound by the canal dam. Hundreds of sizeable trees cover a large tract of land, forming a dense jungle. This is both an eyesore and a haven for criminals. Such an area is ideally suited for helping boys and girls exit from the institution.

The good old days can never come back, but when the institution was referred to as a Boys’ School and my father worked there with me as a youngster, a ‘forested’ area never existed. Instead, the entire compound was kept clear of bushes, no matter how small, and it was cultivated.

A diversity of crops was planted, and the institution was self sufficient even in beef, pork, poultry, fish among other things, the surplus of which was sold to bolster revenue. Even sheep and goats were reared, much to the benefit of the institution under the astute administration of headmaster, Mr Herman Rohlehr, whose wife Iris was my primary school teacher in Standard two.

With government’s ‘grow more food’ campaign, it would be useful for all the idle lands at the  centre housing both males and females to be beneficially occupied or given out to outsiders to put the fertile soil there to maximum use.

Passers-by, especially strangers to the district, would be delighted by the attractive appearance of the compound.

Yours faithfully,
Baliram Persaud