Georgetown: The Government of Guyana’s, “Because We Care,” $10,000 education grant continues to be rolled out at schools across the country. Disbursement of the grant continued in Region Six today, with parents from 20 schools benefitting with Berbice High School, Berbice Educational Institute, New Amsterdam Secondary and St. Therese Primary School serving as the distribution centres.
The education grant is the latest in a series of initiatives extended by Government to parents to ensure that students get the best education. This was pointed out by President Donald Ramotar, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand and Regional Chairman Permaul Armogan, when they formally launched the region’s rollout exercise at the Berbice High School, and as they continued throughout the day, meeting parents at the other distribution sites in the region.
The President noted that the initiative “Because We Care” is aptly named, because records testify to government’s commitment to education of the nation’s students. In fact, testimonies to Government’s care are; its renovation and/or construction of 1000 schools, the achievement of universal primary education and being on the verge of attaining universal secondary education, the President noted. Government is also on the verge of attaining 100 percent trained teachers in all school, with the current rate being 75 percent.
“We are providing the schools, the materials, we are providing the hot meals in schools, snacks, assistance for uniform; we are trying to take the pressure off parents and would have now come to this ($10,000 grant) to give our parents more assistance, to ensure our children would stay in school and learn.”
The President said that given time, the country has the potential to reach a developed status. He pointed out that the workers of the country now and those of the future would build this developed country, hence government’s focus on educating the nation.
“We possess all the materials, all the ability to move to a develop country in the shortest period of time. We have natural resources, and we have talented people. and what we need to do is to build on the natural talents of our people, to provide them and enhance their talents with sound scientific education, so that they can help to move our country forward,” he said.
Further, the President noted that, “There is no better gift that you can give to a child than to give them a sound education.”
He explained that parents have the responsibility to provide children with two things; roots (so that they can have morals and values) and education (so that they can soar).
“We cannot love them and hold them back,” he said.
This focus, in ensuring the laying of a strong foundation for a prosperous society has been the basis for Government’s allocation, annually of 30 percent of the nation’s budget to the social sectors, the largest chunk of which goes to the education sector.
“We are spending our money where it can affect more of our people in a bigger way,” the President explained.
This provision of the majority of the allocation to the social sector is important, as well, in ensuring the redistribution of wealth and income in society, and ensuring no on is at a disadvantage because of their economic position.
Meanwhile, Minister Manickchand, alluding to the fact that Guyana has copped the majority of the CSEC awards, noted that Guyanese students continue to shine in part, because of the enabling educational resources and facilities made available to them in the country because of government’s focus on education.
Those resources range from having a school to go to, furniture to sit and write on and books from which to study, the Minister said. Government has invested millions of dollars to meet the furniture requirement of all schools, and as of September 2014 all schools have been outfitted in this regards, the Education Minister said.
Government has also ensured the supply of the text books in schools and in this regards, from nursery, to secondary, every student has at his/her disposal an English and Mathematics text.
The Caribbean Examination Council recently announced that Guyana copped four of the eight regional awards this year including Best Overall student. Guyana won five of the eight awards last year.
The Regional Chairman outlined the other programmes, including the school feeding and uniform voucher assistance, which the cash grant is aiming to complement.
Parents from Regions One. Three and Seven and some city areas have benefitted since the rolling out of the grant initiative on October 11 in Bartica.
The project caters for all children in the public education system. Over 188,400 families will benefit from the $2 billion initiative.
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