The Guyana Private Schools United turned out for the second week to protest the government’s implementation of VAT on private tuition fees, but this time the group took their grievances to the Ministry of Education’s head office on Brickdam.
The crowd comprised mostly students, local and foreign alike, who, along with parents and the schools’ administrative staff, lined off on each side of the street where the ministry’s buildings are located, as they picketed for the removal of the tax from tuition fees.
“I am protesting with the other parents because we are sending our children to Islamic School, we want them to learn Islamic studies. We want them to learn Arabic, Qur’an and other Islamic studies. The other schools are not going to teach those morals to our kids, so because we choose to send our children to private school that doesn’t mean you need to tax us and VAT us, we’re already paying for it, why are you VATing us on it?” Jomana Cyrus, parent of a student attending the Isa Islamic School expressed.