RASTAFARIANS Lorna Supria and Rasamuni, believers in the economic value of a good education, have made it their personal mission to help keep as many children of Olympic Gardens in Kingston off the streets and in the classroom.

Rasamuni teaches students ages five to seven and GSAT students.

Their 'school' has no recognition yet from the Ministry of Education, but the process has begun, and it isn't much to look at; it's an old, wooden structure.

But, Supria and Rasamuni have successfully secured high school slots for some of their charges - five in the Lion of Judah Basic and Primary School's four-year history.

Exhausting their meagre resources, the twosome has been providing instruction for youngsters - some of whom are Rastafarians, some not - whose parents can't afford to send them to school otherwise.

The exam successes at the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) level, is an indication that they are making a mark. For now, their charges are entered for GSAT under the auspicies of other schools.

The Lion of Judah Primary School.

"Most of the students that we have here, their parents don't have the money to send them to school, but a few parents will give us what they can," Supria told the Sunday Observer.

She started the school in her home four years ago when she realised that her children were being picked on at public school because they were Rastafarians.

Rasamuni, her mate, who adopted his Rastafarian name more than 10 years ago and no longer uses the moniker he was given at birth, joined her two years later.

"I started the school with my three children and two children of a broadcaster at Roots FM, but then the parents in the community heard about it and asked if they could send their children," said Supria.
"My children used to be teased and have their tams pulled off their heads."

Two Rastafarian flags jut from the wall of the school, located off Olympic Way, while the wall is decorated with a painting of Marcus Garvey as well as his writings on learning and confidence.
Beyond the gates stand the wooden structure where the students have classes.

Lorna Supria speaks with one of her students, eight-year-old Javiar Clarke.

The inside of the class is decorated with educational materials such as maps and alphabet charts.

The students sat on wooden benches as they participated in a social studies class taught by Rasamuni. Adjoining the wooden structure is a kitchen and beside it is the living quarters now occupied by Supria's sister.

Currently, there are seven students enrolled, but Rasamuni explained that the number dropped significantly from 17 this year as a result of frequent outbreaks of violence in the inner-city community.

"There are a number of reasons why the children stop coming to school. It ranges from poverty to violence," he said. "There were two brothers that ran away from home to live with their mother out of town because they were being abused by their father."

The students are accepted at Lion of Judah whether or not their parents can make a financial contribution to the school.
"We even feed them and give them bus fare sometimes," said Rasamuni.

Supria has found a creative way to help parents earn money. She teaches them craftmaking, knitting and sewing; and the parents create items for sale.

"Whatever they make and sell, they give me a contribution out of it," she said. "I have taught about 16 mothers already."
At Lion of Judah, the students are grouped into three categories.
Rasamuni teaches the five to seven year olds, and the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) students, while Supria and another volunteer teacher guides the infants and slow learners.

Supria tells of an eight-year-old boy, for example, who overcame his learning challenges and is now able to read after she worked with him for six months.

"When he came here he couldn't even sit in the same class as the rest of the students because he was very restless," she said. "I took him aside and I worked with him for six months, and the other day he realised that he could read, he said 'Miss, I can read. Me going to read for my parents when me go home'."

There are about three to five GSAT students every year who are instructed according to the official GSAT syllabus, which Supria says she gets from another primary school.
"We have students who have gone on to Excelsior High school," she said.

Supria, a presenter on Roots FM, told the Sunday Observer that she has studied theology and that both her parents were trained teachers.

Similarly, Rasamuni said he studied mechanical engineering at the College of Arts Science and Technology, now the University of Technology (UTech), and is a graduate of the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), as well as a musician and a presenter at Roots FM.

Their long-term plan for Lion of Judah, when they can afford it, is to expand the school and transform it into a basic learning centre.

Right now, they are planning a fundraising dinner to refurbish the school and accommodate more children.

It costs approximately $25,000 per month to run the school now, they said. Their only outside help, apart from the intermittent contribution from parents, has been from dub poet Mutabaruka "who gave us some lunches for two terms", Supria said.

davidsont@jamaicaobserver.com

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