– says Finance Minister during ‘Because We Care’ cash grants distribution in Linden

The ‘Because We Care’ $10,000 Cash Grant initiative began in Linden yesterday with Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh reminding parents, specifically fathers, about the need to play a more pivotal role in the development of their children’s lives.

“Government is providing the physical infrastructure with new buildings, computers, trained teachers, uniform allowances, and now the ‘Because We Care Grant’, but it’s incumbent upon you the parents to work with us to ensure our children receive the best possible education,” Dr Singh told the Linden audience.
“It is not acceptable for parents to say ‘Government is not doing enough’ or ‘the teacher not doing enough’, because the education of our nation’s children requires the maximum effort of all stakeholders, that is you the parents and us, the Government,” Singh exhorted.
It was also pointed out that 15 per cent of this year’s National Budget was allocated to the Education Sector, the single largest sector to have received such a large allocation.
“The allocation goes to building more schools; to expand, modernise and/or rehabilitate existing schools, to meet operating costs of schools so that our children will be in an environment with the resources to achieve a solid education,” Singh explained.
The Finance Minister also reiterated that education is a top priority of the Government, and that the cash grant drive was another measure to support learning in the school system.
Over 713 vouchers were distributed yesterday at the Harmony Secondary School in Linden. The gathering saw parents from Christiansburg Primary, Christiansburg Nursery and the Burnham Drive Nursery Schools.
Singh observed that in his visits to other schools during the cash grant drive, women were significantly more present than their male counterparts. He therefore called for the fathers to be more involved and active in their children’s lives.
“Women are traditionally the more present parent due to father being at work, but this has since changed. More and more women have entered the workforce and are making the time to be present in their children’s lives,” observed Singh. “Our men no longer have an excuse to be absent.”
The Finance Minister noted that Government is also emphasising the need for Information Communications Technology (ICT) to be part of the formal education of each child in Guyana.
“Every child coming out of the public school system must be computer literate,” Singh stressed, noting that Government has already commenced the One Laptop Per Family programme with this in mind.
“We don’t want our children to leave the school system without the basic ICT skills they are required to have to be competitive in the professional world,” said Singh.
The $2B cash grant initiative was first announced during the 2014 Budget Speech by Minister Singh in May this year and is expected to benefit some 188,406 families throughout Guyana.