– Minister Parag says oil revenues are being invested in schools, children and Guyana’s future

THE Government’s investment in education is ensuring that learners across Guyana have greater access to quality learning opportunities, Education Minister Sonia Parag said on Tuesday as she commissioned a new $177 million wing at the Yarrowkabra Primary School along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
The new facility, which has already been in use since March, features eight classrooms and a Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) room and will accommodate approximately 200 pupils from Grades Four to Six.

Addressing teachers, parents, pupils and regional officials during the commissioning ceremony, Minister Parag said the expansion represents much more than a new building.
“It is always one thing to have opportunity, but it’s a completely different thing to have access, because you can have opportunity, but if you don’t have access to that opportunity, it’s a wasted opportunity,” the Minister said.
She noted that the original school was designed to accommodate about 250 students but now serves more than 400 children, creating the need for additional classroom space.
“Progress cannot be measured as progress unless you are keeping up with what the current state of affairs is and how you can alter the current state of affairs for the benefit of every individual, whether you’re a child, a teacher or a parent in this community,” she said.
According to the Minister, overcrowding negatively affects both teaching and learning, making investments in educational infrastructure critical to ensuring students receive the support and environment necessary to thrive.
“If you’re having overcrowding at a school, it means that a teacher is teaching a classroom of far more than what is supposed to obtain. It means that children will not be comfortable in that environment. It means that learning may suffer or be disrupted because of that,” she said.
Parag said the government’s educational investments form part of a broader strategy to ensure that every child, regardless of where they live, has access to quality education and opportunities for advancement.
OIL REVENUE AT WORK
The education minister used the occasion to address questions often raised about how Guyana’s oil revenues are being utilised, highlighting that significant portions of those funds are being channelled into education and social development.
“People come to you and they say ‘we’re oil rich, why don’t we have this and why don’t we have that.’ But I’m here to tell you that for the last two years or more, a portion of that oil revenue is being plugged into every single budget that we have had,” she said.
She pointed to the construction of new schools, expansion of educational facilities, scholarships, school feeding programmes and student grants as examples of how petroleum revenues are directly benefiting Guyanese families.

“This year, we will be commissioning far more than 18 schools. We will be achieving universal secondary access in Guyana because of the fact that we are investing in these infrastructures in areas that we are geographically challenged, so that children can have access to an education,” Parag said.
She stressed that education remains the foundation of national development urging that it “is the core of any nation’s development. Education will take you out of poverty. It will ensure that inequality is now equalised.”
The Minister highlighted the government’s growing support for students through the Because We Care Cash Grant programme, noting that the grant has increased from $10,000 when it was restored in 2020 to $60,000 this year, alongside a $5,000 uniform grant and a new $20,000 transportation grant.
“There is no other part of the Caribbean that you can find $85,000, or what is equivalent to $85,000, being given to every child in the school system,” she said.
Parag also pointed to the national school feeding programme, free tertiary education at the University of Guyana, Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarships, technical and vocational training opportunities and expanded support for children with disabilities as examples of investments being funded through national resources.
INVESTING IN FUTURE GENERATIONS
The minister said the government is now moving beyond building infrastructure to improving the quality of education and ensuring children have every opportunity to realise their potential.
“While we’ve done the heavy lifting in the last five years for infrastructure, we are looking to improve the quality of education,” she said.
She encouraged students to remain focused on their studies and ambitions.
“When I see all of you youngsters, all you beautiful girls and you handsome boys, becoming doctors, engineers, lawyers, accountants, food technologists and scientists, I will know it’s because you are able to get access to a quality education.”

Parag formally declared the new wing commissioned, while urging pupils, teachers and residents to help preserve the facility for future generations.

GROWING SCHOOL COMMUNITY
The newly constructed wing was designed to address the overcrowding challenge by providing additional classrooms and learning spaces in a more comfortable environment.
Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer Juan Edghill Jr. announced that the school will also benefit from Starlink internet connectivity, which is expected to further strengthen learning opportunities for students and support teachers in delivering lessons.
The commissioning of the new wing forms part of the government’s ongoing nationwide effort to expand and modernise educational infrastructure as Guyana moves toward achieving universal access to quality education.
Meanwhile, teachers welcomed the expansion, noting that the additional space will help ease overcrowding and create a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.
Speaking with the Department of Information, Grade Six teacher Alessia Watson said the new facility will allow educators to introduce more interactive learning activities that were previously difficult to facilitate because of limited space.
Similarly, Grade Three teacher Lauren Cameron said the new block will improve students’ classroom experience by reducing congestion and creating a more comfortable learning environment.