Dear Editor

Your SN edition of 14/10/08 carried a news item headlined `Ministry of Amerindian Affairs announces winners in Amerindian month essay contest’. In that story was a list of all of the winners from the various categories. This list was conspicuous because of the absence of any winners from the hinterland schools.

The big question is why were there no winners from any of the hinterland schools? Is the essay standard in these schools so much lower than those of the coastland?
If that be the case then the education authorities need to take serious note and apply urgent remedial action.

But then again, there have been many previous instances where hinterland students performed creditably in essay and debating competitions. This then begs the question if this essay competition was properly advertised to the many hinterland schools.
If this was not done, then that would have been a grave injustice to these hinterland students during the Heritage month celebrations.

It would be most helpful if the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs can state whether every effort was made to ensure that this essay contest was properly advertised to the hinterland school, how many hinterland students participated in the competition and from which schools and what was the standard of these students’ essays.
Congratulations are in order for all of the winners of this essay competition. One hopes that the Ministry continues this competition next year and that eventually hinterland students can become winners.
Yours faithfully,
M. Emile