Marti Fernando De Souza, 39, Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Amerindian and Hinterland Education Development, is working to eliminate the disparity that exists in the education system between the hinterland and the coastland, create opportunities for trained and qualified teachers to teach, and to improve pass rates in examinations in hinterland areas.
At the end of 2020, the Ministry of Education (MoE) saw the need for someone who can relate to the hinterland and work on policies at the ministry level to bring the standard of education in the hinterland to a level that is on par with the coastland. As a result, the ministry created the post of DCEO for Amerindian and Hinterland Education Development and offered it to De Souza.