-blasts opposition for lack of support, failed promises during tenure

MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickchand, on Tuesday called out members of the opposition, noting that their non-support for the budget shows that they are not interested in the advancement of the education and other sectors.

The minister was at the time contributing to the national budget debate. She emphasised that the 2025 Budget caters for increasing access to education and provides various services to build out the sector.

Against this backdrop, she said, when members of the opposition come to parliament and say they cannot support the budget, they are saying to all young people that they do not want them to have free university education.

“When you say you can’t support this budget, you’re saying to parents: we will snatch again from you the Because We Care cash grant. When you say you cannot support this budget, you’re saying you don’t support children’s breakfasts. When you say you cannot support this budget, you’re taking away their textbooks,” she expressed.

She went on to add that by voicing their lack of support for the budget, the opposition members are saying that they cannot support the building out of the special education needs classrooms and further, taking away the libraries from children in schools.

“So go ahead… and tell this nation again, who you really are,” Minister Manickchand said.

Further, she indicated that this year, the government will be spending more than $11 billion on disbursement of the Because We Care cash grant, which the APNU+AFC believes is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

The minister underscored, “We don’t hold that view. Every child in this country…red, black, blue, yellow, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Georgetown, or the hinterland will get the Because We Care cash grant, which is $55,000, which will inject $11 billion into the pockets of parents.”

Meanwhile, it was pointed out that this lack of support comes after the main APNU+AFC opposition failed to fulfil all of the promises they made to the people of the country in relation to education when they entered office in 2015.

Listing some of their failures, she said, “They [said they] will develop appropriate non-monetary benefits, free land, and duty-free concessions for teachers and university professors. Fail! None was given. Increase emoluments and improve working conditions for teachers. Fail! Provide an improved quality of education, Fail! Ensure equal access to education, Fail!”

Some of the failed promises included saying they would boost training in TVET and also place focus on agricultural science and other subjects, which, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government has done, she added.

It was against this backdrop that Minister Manickchand noted that the PPP/C government has prioritised and will continue to prioritise the improved access to education across the country.

She indicated that since entering office, the PPP/C government has worked on rehabilitating, and rebuilding schools and constructing new ones where needed to provide additional space at the nursery, primary and secondary levels.

“We will not stop until every single child in this country can sit in a secondary school,” she said.

Furthermore, the education minister remarked that the government has also prioritised the training of teachers across the country and currently has some 123 learning sites across the country.

With this, she indicated that they have been able to graduate over 4,300 teachers over the last four years alone.

To this end, Minister Manickchand threw her full support behind Budget 2025 and indicated that it will continue the significant advancements that have been made thus far in education and all other sectors.