The government will start the countrywide distribution of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant and uniform voucher on June 24, with over 205,000 public and private school students receiving $45,000 each, the Department of Public Information (DPI) said.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand made the announcement on Wednesday.
This year, the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant has been increased to $40,000, in addition to the $5,000 uniform allowance, placing over $9 billion into the pockets of many parents, DPI said.
“This is going to happen all across Guyana over a two-week period for collection and distribution,” the minister stated in a Facebook post.
Those receiving the support must be enrolled in a public or private school, have a good attendance record, and return all textbooks.
The education minister said that each teacher from every school had to submit the children’s names from the registers and the information had to be verified by the regional education department.
Manickchand said the aim is to ensure the process is smooth and transparent and that every entitled child benefits.
Last year, a total of 201,281 public and private school students benefitted from the initiative, which saw some $8.1 billion being expended, DPI said.
