EDUCATION Minister, Dr. Priya Manickchand, yesterday told the National Assembly that the mechanism for the disbursement of the $10,000 education grant for all students in the public school system is being finalised.

The disclosure was in response to a question from Shadow Education Minister, Amna Ally, as to what mechanism will be employed by the Ministry of Education to disburse the $10,000 per child, as has been promised in Budget 2014, and when will the monies be disbursed.
Minister Manickchand replied that the monies will most likely be disbursed at the beginning of the Christmas Term, or even during this same term, so as to ensure that students on roll, and newly registered ones are captured in the roll-out of the disbursement.
She said that consultations are ongoing with parents, teachers and other stakeholders so as to decide on the best mechanisms for disbursement.
Minister Manickchand assured the House that Members of Parliament (MPs) will be kept abreast of what mechanism of disbursement has been finally agreed upon, which is both efficient and effective.
More than 188,000 students, she said, are expected to benefit from the grant, including over 3,000 additional nursery school students, given the change in the entry age from three years, nine months to three years, six months.
She surmised that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, may have to return to the House for a supplementary provision to cater for the increased number of children expected to be enrolled in the public school system, once the new school year commences.
Additionally, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP, Vanessa Kissoon, has suggested that the voucher system, which is used to offer uniform assistance for students, be employed to efficiently undertake the disbursement of the education grant.
The grant was approved by the National Assembly in April, during the 2014 Budget debates, and was one of several measures announced by the Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, to contribute to the improvement of the lives of the Guyanese people. The provision caters for each nursery, primary and secondary school child in Guyana.
After the announcement of the financial support, Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, in April said that Cabinet is currently exploring ways through which the $10,000 per child cash grant can be disbursed.
“The main focus is access…whether the access would be unfettered, essentially open-ended, and the parents have absolute discretion…,” the HPS had said at the time.
He said too that Cabinet was also looking at ways through which this disbursement could contribute to a cashless transaction, or at least promote the development of financial services in Guyana.
The Ministries of Finance and Education and entrepreneurs alike have all recognised that handling disbursements in a cashless manner can help improve the financial sector.
According to Dr. Luncheon, ‘cashless’ does not involve an actual cash transfer; instead, a voucher can be given to the parents as is done in the uniform assistance programme, whereby specific items of clothing and other school requirements can be purchased.
The other possibility is not exactly cashless, he noted, in that public officers could receive this grant, along with their salaries and other emoluments, which are deposited in Bank accounts.
The proposed cash grant initiative will benefit approximately 188,406 families, and will cost the government a total of $2B.

(By Vanessa Narine)