–Gov’t maintains focus on education, allocates $175B in 2025 Budget

SENIOR Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh, on Wednesday participated in the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant distribution in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), at the end of which exercise over 23,000 schoolchildren will have benefitted from $1.3 billion.

The cheques were distributed in the various areas of the Region, including Rose Hall and Port Mourant. Distribution of the cash grant began countrywide last month, and the government had allocated $11.3 billion for this initiative in the 2025 Budget, to the benefit of 205,000 children in both public and private schools.

Speaking during the distribution exercise at the various schools in the region, Dr. Singh reminded parents that the PPP/C, in its 2020 Manifesto, had promised to resume its cash grant to schoolchildren initiative. And immediately upon return to office, he said, it made good on that promise and restarted the rollout of the programme, increasing it each year, to the extent that now, in 2025, it is $55,000 per child, comprising the $50,000 Because We Care grant and $5,000 for uniform allowance.

“We want to assure you that we will continue to distribute this cash grant in our next term. This is a commitment I know I can make on behalf of the President that the cash grant will be continued by the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government (PPP/C) when we assume office at the end of the September 2025 elections, and we will continue to provide additional assistance,” Minister Singh said.
It can be recalled that during its 2015-2020 term in office, the previous administration, the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition government had callously discontinued the Cash Grant Initiative, which was started under the PPP/C government, and through which each school child received $10,000.

The government has been continuing to place major focus on the education sector with increased allocations to the sector each year when it resumed office on August 2, 2020. For 2025, $175 billion was allocated to the sector as the administration works toward advancing its vision of free world-class education for all Guyanese.