in the hinterland brought several urgent issues to his attention. The teachers spoke about the shortage of classrooms, limited access to the internet, the lack of clean portable water, unreliable electricity and a shortage of adequate security around the schools. Monday's meeting was organized in Paramaribo by the Bureau for Hinterland Education. Minister Currie emphasized the importance of these meetings. “Reports contain numbers but not emotion. I prefer to hear the problems straight from the people who are in the field every day,” said Minister Currie who made it clear that the quality of education in the hinterland must be equal to that of the coastal region which means that the circumstances of teachers must be improved. In order to make these improvements, a detailed inventory is needed. Once the inventory is available the minister of Education could initiate collaborations with the business community. The Bureau for Hinterland Education registered the issues that were mentioned and will address them. Minister Currie explained that not everything can be solved at once but promised to give priority to the things that can be tackled before the start of the new school year.