This year’s budget will see $21.4B being channelled into education sector, with the implementation of the Education Strategic Plan continuing to be a priority.
This reflects the Ministry of Education’s ongoing efforts to transform the sector into one that eliminates illiteracy, modernises education and strengthens tolerance, said Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, while presenting the 2010 Budget to the National Assembly yesterday.
Of the sum, $2.4 billion is budgeted for the construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of dormitories, educational facilities, nursery, primary, and secondary schools nationwide. According to the minister, this amount will finance the completion of works on six schools, 39 computer labs, construction of two dormitories at Charity and Sand Creek, renovation of the science laboratory at Richard Ishmael Secondary School Secondary School, extension works on the Paramakatoi and Waramandong Secondary Schools and construction of the Leonora Secondary School.
$800 million has been budgeted for the national school feeding programme, targeting over 47,000 students in nursery and primary levels while over $940 million has been allocated for the continued expansion of technical vocational training. “These funds will be utilised in the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of facilities and the procurements of tools and equipment for all technical institutes,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, over $880 million has been allocated for teacher training and development, which, according to Singh, will result in the continued upgrade of teachers as well as the revision and production of the materials needed to promote a comprehensive training and development programme.
Further, he added that in keeping with government’s continued emphasis on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), it is committed to providing and mobilising resources for its integration into teaching and learning in schools. He said that government will continue the programme to establish information technology laboratories in all secondary schools. More than 2,000 teachers are to be trained in this area of ICT, in an effort to achieve the strategic plan’s objective of 75% trained ICT teachers in the secondary schools and 50% in primary schools by 2013, he said.
Further, over $700 million has been allocated to the University of Guyana comprising $657 million for recurrent expenditure on the operations and maintenance of its two campuses and $48 million capital expenditure to enable the completion of works on the office building at Tain, upgrading of plumbing and electrical facilities, procurement of science laboratory equipment and library books and furnishings. In addition, this year $450 million has been provided for student loans, Singh said.