Education Minister declares that school children to receive $30,000 cash grant in late July

At the end of July, Guyanese students will start receiving the $30, 000 cash grant. This is according to Education Minister, Priya Manickchand.

Speaking at the Georgetown Department of Education Regional Awards Ceremony for the Academic year 2020-2121, on Wednesday, Manickchand 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.”

Minister Manickchand also announced that assistance will be given in the form of text books to every child in primary school as was done for children in Grades five and six. Additionally, she said that 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,” the minister told the gathering. It was noted that 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.

The minister disclosed that though it was first intended to benefit public school children only, government later extended the initiative to private school students. This year however, 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,” she said. The education minister revealed that 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,” Manickchand said.