— rejects McDonald’s description of education grants as ‘wasteful’

EDUCATION Minister, Priya Manickchand, has rebuked the Opposition’s efforts to discourage teachers from participating in the rolling out of the government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant which will see each child in the public school system benefiting from $19,000.
The programme is one initiated by the People’s Progressive Party Civic government even before it demitted office in 2015. When the party returned to office in August 2020, it sought to not only to reinstate the programme, but increase its benefits from well beyond $10,000 as well. With the increases, the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant will now be valued at $15,000, which will be added to the School Uniform and Supplies Grant of $4,000

As this year’s distribution commenced, it was heavily criticised by the members of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), including the party’s Member of Parliament, Coretta McDonald.
It is alleged that McDonald, who is also the General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, has launched an effort to derail the distribution of the monies to parents and guardians of more than 172,000 pupils and students.
According to the claims, McDonald has already solicited the support of teachers, seeking to prevent the rolling out of the initiative which has been seen as critical at this time, especially owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and other external shocks that have resulted in the escalation of cost of living.

Minister Manickchand, in a recent post to her Facebook Page, said “It is bizarre to me that any person, or political party or any of their affiliates would object to Guyana’s families being assisted with $19,000 per child.”
In a video statement also posted only on Thursday night, the education minister reiterated her government’s intention to provide as much support as it can to the people of Guyana, especially those in need.
She indicated that the government’s move to distribute the cash grants stem from an understanding of the realities and needs of families in all parts of Guyana. “You see, the issue becomes not knowing what our families are going through, and if you don’t know that, you can’t serve them,” minister Manickchand posited.

She added, “If you don’t know how hard it is for a grandmother bringing up her [grand] children because mother [and] father [are] gone; if you don’t know how hard it is even in nuclear families where you have both mother and father, then you can’t serve the people; you can’t bring programmes that will serve the people,” the education minister argued.
She stated categorically that unlike some personalities, neither she nor the government hold the view that any of the $3.2 billion is wasteful money.

“Could we do more with $3 billion? Of course! But you are important to us; your children are important to us, and that will remain that way,” Manickchand emphasised.
Earlier in the week, while not referring specifically to the claims being made against McDonald, Minister Manickchand said that “The APNU+AFC just doesn’t do anything sensible, logical or lawful. Reject them, as they try to deny you this grant. We are here, and we will bring you this goodness; every public school child. Because we care! See you when I come into your community.”
The Ministry of Education had said that the parents or guardians of children in the public school system from nursery to secondary level are to visit the respective schools on the scheduled date to uplift the grant. “If a parent or guardian fails to uplift the grant on the scheduled date, he/she will be allowed to do so at a later date at the Department of Education for that region or education district,” the statement assured.

This later date, according to the ministry, will be announced at the appropriate time, but will be after the entire exercise has concluded. To this end, parents are encouraged to make every effort to uplift the cash on the scheduled dates.
Parents or guardians are asked to walk with a valid form of identification when going to uplift the grant. The acceptable forms of identification are the National Identification Card, Driver’s Licence or Passport.
Persons who do not possess any of these documents can still uplift the grant, but their relationship with the child must be confirmed by a senior official in the community or the school’s headteacher.

The Ministry of Education said that it aims to serve each child before September 2021, when the new school term begins. “This initiative of the Government of Guyana is to provide assistance to families so that they can provide the necessary resources for their children, so that they cannot only remain in school, but to also excel in their studies,” the ministry said.
More importantly, minister Manickchand has made it clear that the monies are not limited to just the purchase of school supplies and uniforms, but whatever is necessary for the wellbeing of children.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information, she gave an example of how families may need to expend the monies in different ways to enable the academic advancement of their children. “A mother stood up and said that she is going to buy a black tank with her grant because with a black tank, her children can get water in the house, and they don’t have to come out at nights when they are studying to use water downstairs. They would no longer have to get up early in the morning to fetch water upstairs. So, people use it for different sort of reasons, but it will be to the benefit of the children and to the family,” the minister posited.