DISTRIBUTION of the Government’s $85,000 “Because We Care” education support package continued on Friday for students sitting the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), with Education Minister Sonia Parag visiting distribution sites at Diamond Secondary School and Queen’s College.
The CAPE exercise follows the earlier distribution of the grant to learners at other levels in public and private schools across Guyana, extending the annual assistance to students registered in the country’s school system. The Ministry of Education announced that the CAPE distribution was scheduled for October 2.
At Diamond Secondary and Queen’s College, Parag observed the distribution process as CAPE students and their families collected the assistance.
The $85,000 package comprises a $60,000 “Because We Care” education grant, a $5,000 uniform voucher and a newly introduced $20,000 annual transportation grant. The package applies to eligible children registered in public and private schools.
The 2026 programme is expected to benefit approximately 206,000 schoolchildren, with the combined grants representing a projected $17.5 billion in transfers to families during the year.
Government also covered examination fees for students sitting CSEC and CAPE examinations up to eight subjects. According to the Ministry of Education’s mid-year reporting, that support reached 13,071 CSEC candidates and 666 CAPE candidates from public and private schools at a cost of $853.3 million.
The “Because We Care” programme has been progressively expanded since its restoration, with the 2026 increase taking the education grant to $60,000 and the addition of the transportation allowance bringing total support to $85,000 per child.
During her visit to Queen’s College, Parag also spent time at the school’s Inter-House Sports competition, encouraging students to participate fully, perform to the best of their ability and enjoy the event.
The continued distribution of the grants comes as the Ministry maintains a broader programme of financial and other support aimed at helping families meet education-related expenses and keeping students engaged in the school system.
