Dear Editor,

I have observed several rants on social media made by members of the opposition about the PPP/C’s reintroduction of the Because We Care initiative as well as the School Uniform Cash Grant. It is ridiculous to say the least and I ask that you kindly permit me a few minutes to echo my thoughts. In 2015, when the APNU+AFC government took office, they immediately stopped the Because We Care initiative. This meant that all the nation’s children in the public school system were placed at a disadvantage since many of their parents had to find additional finances on their own to provide them with their school supplies etc.

One would say that it was as if the Coalition did not care about the children of Guyana and the burden which the removal of the cash grant would place on parents. We saw that instead of providing for our children, they chose to increase their own expenditure on dietary by $1.8 billion approximately. Now, these very people have the audacity to criticise the PPP/C for reintroducing the grant which will benefit each child in the public school system. Something is clearly wrong with them.

I am sure hundreds of thousands of Guyanese, even those who do not support the PPP/C, would join me when I say that the reintroduction of the Because We Care initiative will definitely help in bringing relief by providing our children with the necessary resources for their schooling. At this time, there is no doubt that parents are finding it hard to provide for their children as many of them are out of jobs due to the pandemic. As such, the fact that the government has seen the need to fulfil their manifesto promise of reintroducing the cash grant which the cowards of the Coalition halted, is worthy of all the applause at this time.

Parents will now receive $15,000 for each child in the public school system as part of the Because We Care initiative. In addition to this, each child will be provided with an additional $4,000 as part of the School Uniform Cash Grant initiative. This totals to $19,000 per child. I ask the Coalition, why are you criticising such provisions which will benefit our children when you did not give them anything of value during your tenure? I call on all Guyanese to reject the efforts of the Coalition to paint these initiatives of the PPP/C government as bad. In my view, the Coalition is only upset because they know that these initiatives are great, hence them being so worked up about them.

Yours respectfully,
Erin Northe