–Minister Parag urges parents, guardians to familiarise themselves with distribution schedules
MINISTER of Education Sonia Parag has encouraged parents and guardians across Guyana to turn out at schools across the country from today as the government begins the nationwide distribution of the Because We Care cash grant.
The minister made the call in a video message shared on the Ministry of Education’s social media platforms on Sunday.
She reminded parents that the initiative will benefit every child registered within the public and private school system.
Under this year’s programme, each child will receive a $60,000 Because We Care cash grant along with a $5,000 uniform grant and the newly introduced transportation grant valued at $20,000.
Altogether, the measures amount to a total of $85,000 per child.
Parag urged parents to familiarise themselves with the distribution schedules for their children’s schools and ensure that they attend on the dates assigned.
“Tomorrow (today) begins the distribution of the Government of Guyana’s Because We Care cash grant for every child registered in the public and private school system,” the minister said.
She noted that the financial assistance is expected to provide significant relief to families as they prepare children for the upcoming school term in September.
“I know that this is going to be of great benefit to you, because you want your child or children to be in a position to attend school in September, and this is going to assist them with whatever they need to get back to school to be properly prepared for school,” Parag stated.
The Education Minister said the distribution exercise is expected to continue throughout the week, with schools scheduled to facilitate payments over several days to ensure that parents can access the grants.
She also disclosed that ministers and government officials will be visiting schools during the exercise as part of efforts to monitor the process and engage with parents.
“I myself am going to be at several schools, as well as other ministers,” Parag said.
According to the minister, preparations have already been taking place nationwide to ensure that the distribution process runs smoothly.
“So, we are preparing. We have teams on the ground right now in every region preparing to ensure that we have a seamless process,” she added.
The Because We Care cash grant programme which was brought back by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in 2020 has steadily increased over time.
During the presentation of the 2026 budget, it was disclosed that the increase will benefit approximately 206,000 children in public and private schools, placing an additional $2 billion into households with school children. This brings the total estimated transfers under the BWC programme to $12.4 billion.
It was introduced to assist families with education-related expenses and has been expanded over the years through incremental increases and the introduction of additional support measures.
The programme forms part of the government’s broader efforts to ease the financial burden on parents while improving access to education and ensuring children are equipped with the resources needed for school attendance.
With the distribution process commencing today, thousands of parents are expected to visit schools across Guyana over the coming days to access the grants for their children ahead of the new academic year.
