For the first time, teachers will be assisted to prepare and maintain their classrooms as they see fit with greater autonomy by purchasing themselves the janitorial, office and any field supplies that they need.
On Friday, Education Minister Priya Manickchand commenced the distribution of the School Grants in Region Three (Essquibo Islands-West Demerara).
Under the School Grant, teachers will be given $4,000 per child on the Coastland and
$5,500 per child in the Hinterland per term. For schools with less than 56 students
enrolled, a standard amount of $224,000 per term will be granted.
While meeting with the Headteachers from schools across the region, Minister
Manickchand stated that the implementation of the grant is aimed at empowering
teachers to enhance the delivery of the curriculum.
“This grant is for schools and the benefit of our children.”
She explained that before the implementation of the School Grant, it was the
responsibility of the Department of Education in each region to ensure schools received
supplies, however, this presented challenges as each school’s needs were different. This
led to teachers having to pay out-of-pocket expenses to enhance their classrooms.
The Education Minister also noted that another challenge faced was the untimely
distribution of resources to teachers.
She said after careful examination, the best solution was to give schools full autonomy to
purchase their resources. This, she noted, empowers Headteachers to become better
managers of their schools.
To ensure a transparent process, Minister Manickchand told the Headteachers that a list
would be provided to guide teachers on their purchases. She encouraged them to utilise
the grant in innovative ways.
Additionally, she highlighted that the Ministry of Education has invested heavily in
providing resources for students and teachers. As such, she charged the Headteachers to
ensure the investments yield significant results.
