Guyanese students will start receiving the $30,000 cash grants at the end of July, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand announced.
Speaking at the Georgetown Department of Education Regional Awards Ceremony for the Academic year 2020-2121, on Wednesday, the Minister said, “We are giving from the government level, the most support, parents and students have ever seen in this country…the last week of July, every single student…in this country, nursery primary and secondary will receive $30,000 as an assistance to getting themselves outfitted.”
The Minister also announced that assistance will be given in the form of textbooks to every child in primary school as was done for children in Grades five and six.
Additionally, every student from Grade seven to 13 will have all Mathematics, English and Literature textbooks required, while efforts will be made over the next two years for all secondary school students to have all the textbooks needed.
“These are small interventions, but you know what they mean,” Minister Manickchand told the gathering.
Last year, the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, and the School Uniform and Supplies grant, saw every child in both public and private schools receiving a total of $19,000 each.
Though it was first intended to benefit public school children only, government later extended the initiative to private school students.
This year the ‘cash grant has increased from $19,000 to $25,0000 dollars, while the school uniform and supplies grant has increased from $4,000 to $5,000, bringing the total to $30,000.
“Those changes ought to see significant output, better output and less coming out of the pockets of families,” Minister Manickchand said.
The government in its manifesto had promised that by 2025, each child will receive $50,000.
“If we are going to do this together, the ministry, the government, parents, school teachers and students, then surely we should be able to see better results,” the Education Minister said.
