Reiterating that the annual cash grant for public school students will rise incrementally from $19,000 to $50,000 in five years, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand yesterday launched the programme on the Essequibo Coast.
According to her ministry, parents of 814 students attending a cluster of schools received the `Because We Care Cash Grant’ at the Fisher Primary School.
The grants for children attending the Abrams Zuil Secondary, Fisher Nursery, Fisher Primary and Abrams Zuil Nursery School were distributed to parents at the venue representing a value of over $15M.
According to the ministry, Manickchand said that the Government is not limiting parents on how they should use the grant specifically but encouraged that whatever it is used for benefits the children and their education.
The Because We Care Grant is valued at $15,000 this year and the School Uniform and Supplies Grant is valued at $4,000, giving a total of $19,000 for each child in the public education system.
“I will never serve you in a partisan way. Your children will get the same type of service that the next child will get. You must remember that about us. We will serve you and we will serve you equitably,” Manickchand was reported by her ministry as telling parents, teachers and students at the Anna Regina Secondary School.
The programme began at the Cotton Field Secondary School where 492 students are registered.
The Ministry said that over $224M is scheduled to be distributed in Region Two this week to over 11,000 students.
Manickchand told the parents that the past year has been difficult for Guyana and its education sector. She said that the COVID-19 pandemic caused education to be delivered to children in a manner that was never done before.
To ensure that learning continued while schools remained closed, the minister said that after coming into office in August last year, the Guyana Learning Channel was refashioned so that students from any grade could be taught through the channel using the timetabled airing of lessons on the topics that they should have been doing if they were physically in school.
Further, she said that worksheets were printed and distributed while learning packages were prepared and distributed to help Grade Six students prepare for the National Grade Six Assessment.
However, despite these efforts along with many others, the Education Minister said that though these initiatives are helpful, they are not as effective as having children in the classroom in front of a teacher. She said that this has been proven by the worrying results in the two National Grade Six Assessment mock examinations.
She added that the Ministry also learnt that there are weaknesses in some homes and this contributed to the results of the mock exams. She said that the best performing children in the education sector are those that have the necessary support at home.
The minister asserted that the nation’s children need to get back into schools but only if it is safe. She encouraged parents and teachers to go and take the COVID-19 vaccine that is available for adults. Further, she said that the Government is seeking to have a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine delivered to Guyana to be used by students from ages 12 to 17.
Manickchand expressed thanks to the headmasters and teachers across Region Two who came out to participate in the distribution exercise.
