The possibility of an increased Cash Grant next year was hinted at by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who on Wednesday told a sizeable gathering of stakeholders in Rosignol, Berbice, Region Five “we would love to give more, and we will give more.”
The Minister’s disclosure was certainly well embraced by a wide cross-section of parents who had earlier gathered at the Rosignol Secondary School to receive the promised $10,000 Cash Grant offered by Government through the Ministry of Education to aid their children’s schooling needs.
Manickchand’s comments regarding the possible hike in the Cash Grant were forthcoming even as she responded to a number of queries from those in the gathering, ranging from “Will this continue next year?” and “will Government increase the amount next year?”
The Cash Grant distribution which commenced on a national scale two weekends ago, is being afforded to each child attending a public school at the levels of nursery, primary and secondary, and not per family. This therefore means that if a household has 10 children attending public school, the parent or guardian will be eligible to receive a total of $100,000 on behalf of their children.
While the grant is presented in the form of a voucher it is designed to be encashed at money transfer services wherever they are located. Other arrangements are made for families not situated in proximity to such facilities.
The Cash Grant which was announced earlier this year by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, during his presentation of the National Budget is one that is aimed at helping to encourage more school attendance while at the same time seeking to help alleviate poverty.
As explained by the Minister of Finance, this programme is meant to provide more support to parents with school-aged children and increase the disposable income of parents with school-aged children with a view to raising enrolment and attendance rates.
Moreover, the Cash Grant, which is expected to see millions being distributed countrywide, had been given the title ‘Because We Care’.
Minister Manickchand, who has on occasions been accompanied by President Donald Ramotar to witness the distribution process in some Regions that have already benefited, made it clear during the Region Five distribution that her Ministry might very well offer the grant based on children’s schools’ attendance rates.
According to her, “Government can afford to give each child in the public school system $10,000 because we care about your children and because our country is doing better. We can give it because the country is being managed in a way where for the last eight years we’ve seen consecutive growth.”
She pointed out that while other countries were suffering from an economic downturn, Guyana’s economy grew, and because of that growth, which was as a direct result of prudent management of the economy, Government was able to roll out the Cash Grant programme.
Already some regions have reported that school attendance rates have considerably increased, and it is expected that this trend will continue with the continuance of the Cash Grant pay-out.
The Minister reflected on other levels of support that have been forthcoming from Government to encourage attendance rates, including the uniform programme which was initially offered to some children, but later was expanded to benefit all public school children. And then there was the school-feeding programme which started in the hinterland, and was later extended across the coast.
“We’re starting this programme with $10,000. As the country continues to grow, this $10,000 will also grow!” intimated the Minister.
Five other countries in this part of the world have similar programmes (Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica and Brazil) but Guyana is the only country that offers cash grants to every child in the public school system.
The grants in other countries range from about US$50 to US$64 per year for some children, while Guyana has started its programme by giving each child in the public school system, the equivalent of US$50.
The distribution of vouchers at the Rosignol School was conducted in a very orderly manner since a waiting area was set up to allow parents to wait their turn while other parents were being attended to.
The Minister herself toured the entire school facility and made several other stops. She visited other distribution points at Cotton Tree Primary, Number 8 Secondary and Bath Primary School, to ensure the processes went smoothly and to thank teachers for their service.
Cash grant distributions have also been done in Regions One, Three, Four and Six, and the process is continuing countrywide.
Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/10/24/education-minister-hints-at-increased-cash-grant-next-year/