MONTEGO BAY, St James – While other parents have been busy relishing in the success of their children who sat the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exam, St James woman Maureen Rodney’s burden has only got harder to bear.

Unemployed and a single mother of two, Rodney’s inability to provide the basic necessities such as transportation fees for her 12-year-old son Razane Shaw, who was placed at the Cambridge High School in rural St James, has caused her many sleepless nights though the new academic year is yet to begin.

“He [Razane] is to go to Cambridge High School but mi cannot manage to send him so far,” she stressed.

The family is no stranger to financial hardships as it had already posed a serious challenge while the boy pursued his education at the Granville Primary and Infant School in St James, Rodney told the Jamaica Observer West.

Explaining that though the primary school is a mere walking distance from their home in Tucker, Rodney said her son has had to miss many days from school due to a lack of monetary support.

“Sometimes mi wonder if God nuh remember me. I know that he [Razane] would have been way ahead if I was sending him to school every day like the other children. But I couldn’t afford it…sometimes I don’t send him to school for even a month,” said Rodney.

“Razane is willing to learn. He will sometimes go to school with no money or anything to eat. If I tell him that I don’t have any money, he will cry but he is still going to school. Sometimes I go people yard and beg so he can go to school. Sometimes dem shame me but mi still have to do it. Mi would really like if him get a better education. Mi just want the best for him but mi nuh know what to do.”

Rodney told the Observer West that through the help of Good Samaritans, the family has started the process to transfer schools which would instead see young Shaw attending the Irwin High School. This, she explained, would seek to ease some financial burden as it is also within walking distance from their home. But the family has been unsuccessful in their attempt to switch the boy’s school so far.

As she sought to bear it all, Rodney described how her family ended up in such an unfortunate situation that has started to negatively affect her young son’s education.

“I have a shop but because nothing nah gwan for me right now and I’m going to tell you the truth, I cannot read very well, so I cannot go out there to look a job. The only time I can work is when people call me to clean their house or to wash their clothes,” Rodney revealed.

The mother of two continued, “sometimes it is rough but mi try fi do it for them because I don’t want them to grow up like I did. Sometimes we don’t even have food to eat but mi try fi still mek dem eat. If I go downtown and somebody buys me a food, I carry it home for them.”

“My mother said she couldn’t afford to send me to school…a wah gentleman mi find and he sent me to [the Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy] [JAMAL]. That is how I can spell my name and do a little thing. Mi nuh want dem get big and go through the same thing as me. That is why I am trying to make them get an education because it is a hell of a thing when you cannot read,” she added.

Assistance has come the way of Shaw through the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), but his mother said this was not an easy task. She, however, wants to also be in a position where she can help her son financially.

“I got him on PATH the other day and I had to go to the office and cry. I would love to get some help with a shop. If I could get some drinks to put in there I would try on my own, but you see when you can’t read… that is why I am trying to make them get an education because it is a hell of a thing when you cannot read,” she argued.

For young Shaw, attending primary school without money to purchase lunch meant he had to ask friends to share their meals. Now as the boy transitions to high school, he questions how his family will ever be able to provide for his basic needs.

“If I go to Cambridge High I know that it is not all the time I will get to go to school. The fare to go to Cambridge is a lot, so what will I eat when I come home if I have to use so much money? I want to go to a school closer and then I can get less money, so when I come from school I will get something to eat,” Shaw said.

When contacted, director of the Ministry of Education and Youth’s Region Four Dr Michelle Pinnock stated that though she was unaware of the boy’s situation, efforts will be made to ensure that his education remains a priority.

She, however, noted that the Irwin High School, while it may seem like an attractive choice of school for Shaw, is not equipped to provide the educational assistance that the boy needs based on his recent PEP scores.

“When we look at this child, we are seeing that sending him to Irwin High School is not going to be of benefit to him because that facility is not available there. So when we look at a child like this we have to look to place him at a school where we have a special education trained professional who will be able to work with this child,” said Dr Pinnock.

“My office is going to be calling the mother to let her know where the child can be placed. Cambridge might not be okay for her in terms of transportation, so we could also place the child at The Learners’ Centre or Harrison [Memorial High School] where the Government would actually be paying for those children to be there,” she added.