Catering to public school children across the country, the inaugural “Because We Care” Cash Grant initiative commenced in early October but, according to the Ministry of Education, the process is nearing completion. This was outlined in a statement issued yesterday by the Ministry.
Amounting to $10,000 per child attending school at the level of nursery, primary and secondary, the grant was one that was intended to help ensure families are able to send their children to school.
According to the Ministry’s statement, distribution of the Cash Grant has been completed in most Regions of the country, and efforts are now being engaged to service the few remaining communities before the process culminates.
The Ministry also acknowledged that “there were a few hiccups along the way considering the magnitude of the task undertaken by the government through the Ministry of Education to deliver this $10,000 cash grant to parents of almost 200,000 children in the public school system.”
However, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, in her remarks to parents and guardians at the Covent Garden Secondary School, East Bank Demerara, noted that the past six weeks have been smooth. The Minister even shared her belief that the programme has been marked by order, civility and efficiency.
Minister Manickchand also reiterated that local statistics as well as international reports written about the country, show that Guyana is doing better as a country, and this is why the Government of Guyana can invest in giving parents the additional support, ”we are able to give $10,000 as a grant this year because our country is doing indisputably better, it is a fact… our economy is going better, we can better spread our resources and reinvest it back in you…we care about your families’ welfare.”
The ‘Because we Care’ $10,000 Cash Grant was distributed at 10 locations across the East Coast and the East Bank where approximately 7,671 children benefited yesterday which was in fact the final day for the distribution of the Grant in Region 4 (East Bank and East Coast). Georgetown is expected to be completed by the end of Saturday (November 8).
According to the Ministry, parents from the following Administrative Regions have received their Cash Grant Region 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and Region 10, and most of these regions are expected to be completed by the end of this week. The remaining Regions are expected to be serviced by November 23.
The Cash Grant programme is meant to provide more support to parents with school age children and increase the disposable income of parents with school age children, with a view to raising enrolment and attendance rates. This is in fact the first programme of its kind in the Caribbean and indeed anywhere else in this part of the world, where every public school child is entitled to this benefit.
Parents have until November 30, 2014, to encash their vouchers at any Western Union or Bill Express location.
Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/11/07/cash-grant-distribution-nearing-completion/