Burial expense for 11-Y-O schoolboy to be covered by the state- Manickchand

Education Minister Manickchand in conversation with the grandmother of Akon Richards 

Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Saturday met with the grandmother of drowned 11-year-old Akon Richards where she offered the government’s commitment to ensure that the funeral expenses for the lad are taken of.

DEAD: Akon Richards

Richards, a former student of the Cornelia Ida Primary School drowned on Friday shortly after he slipped into a canal at De Kinderen and never resurfaced. A search party was formed to look for him hours after. This was promoted after his grandmother returned from work and realised that he was nowhere to be found.

After relatives got word that he was feared drowned and after a meticulous search of the canal, the lad’s body was discovered after 21:00hrs despite the fact that he had reportedly slipped into the canal sometime around 15:00hrs the said afternoon.

Minister Priya Manickchand who had earlier on Saturday visited with teachers in Wakenaam decided to stop by the home of Akon’s grandmother Carol Williams where she offered condolences on behalf of the government and subsequently made the funeral commitments on-half of the government.

Earlier Friday before the body of Richards was discovered, two of his cousins with whom he went to the canal informed their elders that Akon slipped into the canal and was not resurfacing but none of the adults they initially told the story to, paid them any mind.