— Finance Minister on ‘Because We Care’ grant
SENIOR Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, said there is no better investment than an investment made in Guyana’s children.
The minister made this statement at the Betsy Ground Primary School on Wednesday, one of several stops he made to distribute the Ministry of Education’s ‘Because We Care’ $19,000 per public school student cash grant. “Our government is firmly committed to doing what is necessary to create the opportunities, but ensuring that those opportunities are fully capitalised on is a responsibility that is shared by those in the education system, and I commend them for doing an excellent job…”
Minister Singh said the cash grant will go a long way in providing critical needs of students, such as stationery, uniform, and other school supplies.
He said parents and educators should make the most of the provisions the government continues to make and ensure children are disciplined in their educational pursuits. These include scholarship programmes, improved infrastructure, and investments toward achieving universal primary and secondary education.
“The future of your children will not be bright by magic. The future of your children will not be bright simply because government built the school or government staffed the school with teachers. “The future of your children will be bright if you ensure that they go to school; if you ensure that they do their homework, if you ensure that they do the revision to prepare for their exam.” The minister also encouraged residents of Region Six to add to its high vaccination rate, so Guyana could achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.
Dr. Singh was one of several ministers who travelled to the region to start sharing some $421.6 million allocated for Region Six through the grant initiative. He also visited the Cumberland and Gangaram Primary Schools, which collectively served as distribution points for students attending seven Region Six schools, namely Canefield, Adelphi, Reliance and Goed Bananen Land nursery schools, and the Betsy Ground, Rose Hall Estate and Gangaram Primary Schools. (DPI)
