–second round of distribution exercises to commence soon, gov’t to explore direct deposit of funds

SOME 95 per cent of Guyana’s school-aged population have benefitted from the recently distributed “Because We Care” cash grant and uniform vouchers, Education Minister Priya Manickchand has said.

Manickchand, during an interview on the sidelines of an event, told the Guyana Chronicle that systems will be established to ensure that those parents who were unable to uplift the education grants receive those funds during the second distribution exercise, which will commence soon.

“People have different reasons, legitimate reasons that they can’t make that scheduled date, so we usually give another opportunity for people to come and have a second go to receive their grant for the first time,” Minister Manickchand said.

This year, the ministry identified 214,000 children from public and private schools, who were eligible for the $40,000 education grant.

This amounts to some $8.6 billion in disposable income being made available to families nationwide.

Commenting on the process, Minister Manickchand said that no major hiccups were recorded and with the ministry establishing more distribution centres, this year’s exercise was smooth and efficient.

“We have always had live auditing by the auditor general’s office because it’s not just about distributing, but it also about making sure we can answer all the queries on whether we stayed accountable to our process. I am very pleased to say that we are and we haven’t had any major hiccups,” she said.

The Education Ministry has also considered the option of direct deposits of funds to bank accounts; however, a fraction of the population may not have access to this service and this will also be taken into consideration for future distribution exercises.

“All in all, it was very smoothly done; it was very quietly done… we would like to move to a place where we could have their grants in their accounts, but as you know most of the population don’t have access to accounts and people choose overwhelmingly to receive this in person,” Manickchand said.

She added: “We have to pay some mind to what the people want, that is democracy.”

The “Because We Care” cash grant and uniform vouchers are part of welfare measures introduced by the government to put more disposable income into the hands of parents and increase school attendance of learners, particularly those disadvantaged because their parents could not always afford the basic necessities.

In its manifesto, the government promised that by 2025 each child will receive $50,000.

The “Because We Care” project started in 2014 under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government and saw parents receiving cash grants of $10,000 per child in the public school system.

However, when the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) assumed office in 2015, it discontinued the grant. When the PPP/C returned to government in 2020, they fulfilled their promise by restoring the grant and increasing it.

This year, $94.4 billion was allocated to the sector to further boost access to quality education. The government has made significant progress in the last three years, proving its dedication to improve access to education opportunities at every level.