President: ‘It is not a gift, it is an investment’
– Over $70M to be disbursed by end of today

THE rollout of the Government of Guyana’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant initiative continued yesterday in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara), at the Uitvlugt Community Centre.

And President Donald Ramotar was emphatic in reiterating the current administration’s commitment to the Guyanese people.

He interacted with teachers, Ministry of Education staffers, parents, guardians and children at the Uitvlugt Community centre yesterday.

INVESTMENTS
Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, in an invited comment, the Head of State stressed that contrary to the sentiments expressed by naysayers, the initiative is “not a gift,” rather it is an investment in the children of Guyana and, by extension, the future of the nation.
“I, and the Government I lead believe in the development of Guyana’s human capital and this is an investment in our future. Some people say it is a gift, but it is an investment and our policy has been to put as much assistance into the social sector,” he said.

In the education sector, injections of resources include investments into new schools and rehabilitation of schools, the provision of text books, the hot meals programme, the uniform assistance programme and other measures that aim to support Guyanese children – all of which go towards improving the standard of living and quality of life for all Guyanese.
Prior to 1992 the investment in the social sector was a measly eight per cent of a small national budget, as compared to the 2014 and prior budgets.
This year, the national budget allocated $32.3B, over 30 per cent, of a whopping $220M budget. The national Estimates were geared to fulfill the many promises made to the people of Guyana during the 2011 campaign. However, it was slashed by the Opposition. This year the cuts totaled a whopping $37.4B, reducing the $220B national Budget to $182.6B. Last year, the combined Opposition cut the Budget by $31B; and in 2012 by $21B.
According to Mr. Ramotar the investments made in the education sector have paid off in a tangible way. “We have seen it paying off,” he said, pointing

to the fact that Guyana, as was announced on Friday, secured four of the eight regional awards for top performance at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
The President, on that note, added his congratulations to Ms. Elisa Hamilton, of Queen’s College (QC), who copped the Regional award for top performance at the CSEC examinations. Hamilton also topped the country at the CSEC exams.
Guyana took home three other awards: Aliyyah Abdul Kadir and Ryhan Chand, also of QC, who took top regional awards for Most Outstanding in Humanities and Most Outstanding in Business Studies respectively; and Kishan Crichlow of the New Amsterdam Multilateral School was awarded the Most Outstanding Student in Technical Vocational studies.
“I hope she (Hamilton) and the others take this as a beginning, not the end, and move on to greater things,” Mr. Ramotar said.

MILLIONS DISBURSED

Education Minister Ms. Priya Manickchand told this newspaper that by the end of the weekend, some $70M would have been disbursed.
To date, the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant initiative has gone to Bartica and surrounding communities in Region 7 (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni); and the entire sub-region of Moruca, as well as Mabaruma, in Region 1 (Barima/ Waini).
The rollout of the programme in Region 3 is expected to continue today and tomorrow.
Ms. Manickchand, when asked about the progress of the initiative, stated that it has been “smooth” sailing, since its launch last Saturday.

“It has been going smoothly. I have been pleased with the smooth, effective distribution process and I am inspired by the stories of the parents,” she said.
Yesterday, the hundreds of parents and guardians who turned up to uplift their vouchers were assisted in a speedy fashion, with disbursements commencing at approximately 09:45 hours and well over 80 per cent complete before noon.
The roll out of Government’s ‘Because We Care’ $10,000 cash grant initiative continues today in Region 6 (East Berbice/ Corentyne) and will continue across the country, until November 21.

(By Vanessa Narine )