-says VP Jagdeo

THE Government of Guyana is actively considering the extension of its ‘Because We Care’ cash grants to accommodate children attending private institutions, according to Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo.
The former Head of State explained that since announcement of the grants was made, many persons who have children attending private schools have been advocating for the monies to go towards them as well.

“…Maybe not all of them will take it, but some parents have been making this solid case that they struggle at home to make their kids go to private schools,” the former Head of State said during an interview with a known social media personality.
He recognised that some parents have been arguing that sending their children to private schools does not mean they are wealthy.

“It’s not as though they are rich in a way, [and] those kids that go to private schools, they take some pressure off the public schools too, in terms of space, so the government will consider all the facts on this issue, and we will make a determination very soon on the matter,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
He explained that as a result of the plea, efforts have commenced to re-examine the programme and identify the possibility of extending the aid to private school pupils as well. Already, he said that the Ministry of Education has been tasked with compiling data in relation to the number of children there are in the private school system.

“The ministry doesn’t have all the numbers; they are trying to verify the numbers,” the vice-president added.
Dr. Jagdeo indicated that should the government decide to extend the cash grants to those in the private school system, strict measures would have to be instituted to curb “leakages and corruption.”

Dr. Jagdeo maintained that as it is now, distribution of the $19,000 grant for each child within the public school system is being done using a robust system which requires the submission of each class register. Further, the entire process is being keenly monitored by the Office of the Auditor General.
The ‘Because We Care’ cash grant was 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 reinstate the programme, but increase its benefits from well beyond $10,000. With the increase, the grant will now be valued at $15,000, which will be added to the School Uniform and Supplies Grant of $4,000 to represent the final sum.

As this year’s distribution commenced, it was heavily criticised by 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 (GTU), has launched an effort to derail distribution of the funds 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 escalation of the cost of living.
Many within the opposition camp have also criticised the initiative as being a waste of money; however, Education Minister Priya Manickchand had rebuked the opposition’s efforts to discourage teachers from participating in the rolling out of the welcome initiative.

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 posted later 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 stems 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 wasted 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.
In addition to the education cash grant, the government had also implemented the one-off $25,000 COVID-19 cash grant, which seeks to cushion the impact that the pandemic has had on Guyanese families.