The Ministry of Education, yesterday, kicked off the first in a series of Public Consultation Forums on grade retention, automatic promotions and corporal punishment in schools. Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand was accompanied by several high level officers from the Ministry of Education (MOE) and met with school administrators and parents at the New Amsterdam Secondary School (NAMS) in Berbice.

During the feedback sessions, it was evident that most of the educators present, were not in favour of the automatic promotions policy, and in more than one way or another, sent a signal of their rejection of the policy to the subject minister and her senior officers that were present.
Region Six Education Officer,  Shafiran Bhajan, noted that given the investment in education, “we must have returns…We know when the circulars on Grade Retention was issued, it was a time when the returns on the investment was not there at the secondary level”.
She noted that Universal Secondary Education was the ultimate goal of the MOE, “but we found it was not only about access but graduation rates, and drop- outs; and we found that the retention and repetition rates were so high…”

“Today our Minister is taking a second look at the investments at the secondary level of education and from what we have seen, she wants every child to graduate…you are fortunate to be at this forum where you can give…You are the players at the school level and would seem that sometimes because of high repetition rates, utilisation of resources, including space, time, human-teacher resources. “Today you have an opportunity to say what you have to say with regards to the two circulars”.

Manickchand said, “We are telling you where we are and want to hear whether it is working or not working and what you [the teachers] think we can do”. She urged the participants to say how they feel about the issues. She said that the sessions and consultation forum would be recorded.

A Lower Corentyne Secondary School administrator noted how lower- grade, low- performing secondary schools have enormous challenges on the policy.
He added, “Not enough was done to reach out to members of the community and as such, parents do not understand the meaning of the policy because what has been felt was that the No Child Left Behind policy did not encourage children to study because they knew they would be promoted anyway”.
He stated that the policy should be revised, “and get things that were working…Not all the children will understand the true meanings of success until they face a little bit of failure.”

A teacher from Corentyne Comprehensive Secondary supported the Retention system “simply because you find that when these children go to Grade Eleven, and they have entered for CSEC Exams, you have serious problems there…They will not meet the criteria but because of the CSEC criteria and policy, we are forced to enter these students…

“If we are going to keep ‘putting over’ these children when they reach Grade Eleven we will have serious problems”.

The teacher added that retention of students and keeping them back when they fail will “help them” even though it will place more expenses on the family….but in the long run we will be doing a good [thing] for these children”.

Speaking about the remediation ‘after- school’ programme that was instituted by the MOE to cater for poor- performers by keeping them back for one hour after school to do Maths and English, the teacher noted that the children are exhausted at the end of the school day to participate in such a programme. “They are in school all day and they know they have to stay back for Math…but at 2:30 [pm] when the remedial teacher is there to start the lessons, 90 per cent of the children are out the gate, because they are tired, or hungry.

Most of these children who need remediation are children from the poor homes and they are hungry at 2:30pm”. The teacher recommended that a snack be provided for these students.

Another teacher shared her experience on the negatives of the automatic promotion system. She contended that while a group of Third Formers was writing the National Grade Nine Examinations (NGNA), the “children went to sleep after they were given the exam papers.”

A teacher of Canje Secondary School said that even though there is the automatic promotion policy, students are “dropping out by the tons”. Parents, she noted, give the teachers phone numbers and cell phone numbers “but we are [still] not getting in contact with them”.

One teacher was bold enough to describe the Automatic Promotion policy “a national disaster…causing pandemonium”.
He noted that the policy has opened a way for “indiscipline and caused tremendous stress on teachers because of the indiscipline…brought the standards of the school down” due to the poor performance rates.

Manickchand listened keenly to all of the views of the teachers, most of whom were in favour of retaining students who fail, in the same class. She questioned teachers present as to why some of them are not doing the remedial programme.

Some of the answers were, that the students are too tired to work in the afternoons after school; payment for teachers who teach an hour after school; as well as providing snacks for students since many of them are hungry and cannot concentrate.
Manickchand later met with parents on the matter of automatic promotions. Similar consultations are planned for the other regions in the country.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2012/05/24/manickchand-gathers-teachers-and-parents%E2%80%99-views-on-automatic-promotion/

Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and former Education Minister, Priya Manickchand on Tuesday underscored the recognition and equality that are enshrined in Guyana’s Constitution as it relates to women. However, she observed that even though much has been done to advance women’s rights, legislative changes are needed to ensure that women are treated equally to fully maximise their potential.

The MP made these comments at the hosting of an event to mark International Women’s Day 2018 at Freedom House organised by the Women Progressive Organisation (WPO) of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) entitled, “Women Speak: The status of Women in Guyana 2018.”
Manickchand pointed to several gaps that existed which affect the full realisation of female rights.

Reforms
She urged reforms to the divorce laws, noting that such separations require “fault-based” reasoning. The former Minister also said that for division of property, a woman was entitled to half of what the couple acquired together if she was working, but was only entitled to one-third if she worked “inside the home”. This, Manickchand contends, puts women at a disadvantage since domestic chores can also be considered work.
She observed that while the country’s major political parties were able to come together and pass landmark legislation that favoured the advancement of both young and mature females, there are aspects within our laws that do not address the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) females. The MP believes that there should be adjustments as these persons can contribute to society. Some of the other progressive advances, she noted, were the Sexual Offences Act, Family Court, Legal Aid and adjustments to Married Persons Act to give common-law spouses ownership rights after five years.

Support for CJ, Chancellor
At the same time, she renewed calls for the confirmed appointments of Justice Roxane George, SC, and Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards to the posts of Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary. Manickchand said that these appointments reflected a situation where a female was being replaced by a man, noting that this was a good example of how women’s rights were “reflected on paper” only.
“Never hold back your talents and capabilities because they are saying, ‘she’s too pushy’,” the MP encouraged.
Tuesday evening’s event was hosted by fellow MP Gail Teixeira, who told the round table gathering that much of the rights women would have attained in the past were been eroded, especially with some 2000 working women being affected directly in the sugar industry. She also stressed that no bill in the National Assembly was passed to advance the rights of women.

Observing that there were still gaps in the areas of politics and health, Teixeira said women must stand up for rights if they want democracy, progress, and peace. Other speakers such as Coretta McDonald, President of Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC); Psychologist Dr Dawn Stewart and MP Gillian Burton-Persaud all gave resounding and moving speeches that urged women to demand their right places at the same level with men so that they could advance their causes.
They also encouraged female-folk to value themselves and to take note of their mental health. Other women speakers included rice farmer Bibi Mohamed, who noted the challenges of rice cultivation, and Bibi Shareeda Ali, the wife of a dismissed Wales sugar worker. Ali said that most of all, she wanted her children to be educated and workers not having jobs meant that they would be subjected to a life of poverty.
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo was the only male who addressed the audience of women from various walks of life. He noted Guyanese must work together to confront the challenges that women face and observed that programmes such as WoW (Women of Worth) have done much to advance females. He stressed that mothers have a role to play in reducing race-based stereotypes so that Guyana could be a more united society.
International Women’s Day was observed on March 8. (Shemuel Fanfair)

Source: https://guyanatimesgy.com/legislative-improvements-needed-to-advance-womens-equality-opposition-mp/

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Priya Manickchand has strongly defended the decision made by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to reject the two nominees put forward by President David Granger to fill the substantive vacancies in the offices of the Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary respectively.

Manickchand, an Attorney-at-Law and former Government Minister, also described President David Granger’s assertions about the Opposition trying to undermine the judicial system due to its non-approval of the top judicial appointments as “unfair” and “far from the truth”. She spared no effort in chastising the coalition Government for attempting to portray a bad image of the Opposition, as she explained that the President had his opportunity to agree to substantive judicial appointments in the past, but never did.
“For all the time that the Peoples National Congress (PNC) has been in Opposition, whenever under the new constitution the chance arose for them to confirm or reject the nominees of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP/C) presidents, they refuse. So we are talking about 12 years,” she stated. She made this comment on Television Guyana (TVG) Under the Microscope programme, where the issues surrounding these top judicial appointments were discussed and debated at length.

Manickchand also called into question the direct statements made by the country’s head of state in regard to this issue, explaining that the president was leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2015. “He refused to agree to the nominations put up by the president of this country for chancellor and chief justice. And for all the time that he has been president, he took three years, almost, to come and give a name. So (there has been) a month of nothing, considering the stalling up they have done in this process,” she opined.
The Opposition MP said while everyone would like to see that these appointments are made quickly, it would be reckless of the Opposition Leader to agree or fail to give his agreement without checking on the information that is available for the suggested candidates.

While there have been criticisms about Jagdeo’s silence on his reasons for rejecting the nominees, the former minister said Jagdeo may have good reasons for so doing.
Manickchand said, “I think it’s not a bad practice. I think I heard Mr. Jagdeo saying he wouldn’t like to drag people’s names through the mud. And I think that might be an almost bashful thing, because he doesn’t want to do damage to a person who, through no fault of his own, is placed on a national stage. But of course with the exception of accepting it.”

Justice Kenneth Benjamin was nominated for the position of Chancellor of the Judiciary, while Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, the current acting chancellor, has been nominated for the position of Chief Justice.
Concerns have been raised by the Bar Association in Belize about Benjamin’s failure, up to recently, to clear a backlog of writing his decisions.

Two weeks ago, Jagdeo, in a letter addressed to the President, said that after having duly considered the nominations of Justice Benjamin and Justice Cummings-Edwards under Article 127 (2) of the Constitution, he is unable to offer his agreement for their appointments.

However, the Opposition Leader has since indicated his willingness to further engage the President on substantive appointments to the top judicial positions.

To this end, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, subsequently said Government will be going ahead with “meaningful consultations” between the two sides, as provided for in the Constitution.

“Mr Jagdeo’s rejection is constitutional, the President’s powers are also constitutional; and there is a provision in the law which provides that in the event there cannot be agreement…then there is a second level which now requires meaningful consultations. So I believe that is the next step we will go to,” Minister Harmon had said.
According to Article 127 (2) of the Constitution, “If the office of Chancellor or Chief Justice is vacant…then, until a person has been appointed…, those functions shall be performed by such other of the Judges as may be appointed by the President”.

Guyana’s Constitution requires the Opposition Leader’s approval before the President’s nominees can be appointed to those two top judicial positions.

PPP/C front bencher Priya Manickchand yesterday criticised senior government ministers, saying they have failed to tell the people how the administration will drive a turnaround in an economy that the Finance Minister has said has challenges.

In her address on the proposed 2018 national budget, which she called a “dead end,” she argued that the ministers have not addressed issues that were identified as challenges in the budget.  She also noted the absence of both finance ministers-Winston Jordan and his junior, Jaipaul Sharma-from the National Assembly for the past three days and, therefore, their failure to hear the issues raised by the opposition.

(Jordan appeared later in the day for the first time this week and was welcomed by Manickchand.)

She said instead of providing a stimulus for the troubled economy, the government is telling 2000 sugar workers that come next year they will have no income. “Two thousand persons, two thousands families, ten thousand people, are going to be affected. We are talking about these numbers, Mr. Speaker, and I just want if we can close our eyes for a minute and stop and imagine what happens if you are to wake up tomorrow…without a job and in a wheel chair… because we are not only knocking them off we are failing to give them anything they can do, we are crippling them,” a passionate Manickchand said as she held up a copy of Wednesday’s Stabroek News, which had a front page story on the 2,000 sugar workers from Skeldon who received retrenchment letters.

She likened the workers’ situation to if someone is “licked upside down by a car” and described the government as car “licking ten thousand people upside down,” including women and children and not giving them any kind of wherewithal to go and make a living.

“These are not skilled, educated people that you can just get up from one desk job and go [to] another…,” she pointed out, while calling upon the government to put the workers first before profit and she questioned whether it is because “it is not your people.”

The former education minister also queried how much taxes were earned last year as a result of taxes being placed on education goods and services and whether come next year that money could be applied directly to the children of the fired cane cutters.

“We are saying, very clearly in this House, Mr. Speaker, that there needs to be more done for the people who are suffering from economic decline, defined and articulated by the Minister of Finance himself. We say you can begin by telling us in this House… how you are going to deal with the sugar workers and their children,” she suggested.

Speaking right after Manickchand, Minister of State Joe Harmon, who earlier this week noted that Cabinet was surprised when the retrenchment letters were sent out to the workers, would only say that there was a “big chunk” in the budget to provide severance for the workers.

‘Party paramountcy’

Manickchand also accused the government of not having an ideology and she questioned “the green economy” it has touted since it came into office.

She questioned whether it was about painting buildings and fences green, such as is being done at State House presently—an act that has been criticised but which President David Granger has staunchly defended.

As she spoke, a government member remarked that it was about “Green and Clean” even as Manickchand held up a new old age pension book, which also now has the colours green and yellow—the two main colours for the parties that are in government.

According to Manickchand, while it sounds like a small issue and something that can be trivialized, the move is a return to the days of party paramountcy.

“Party paramountcy has done nothing for the development of Guyana and for the development of her people,” she said, while adding that it is only people who have no plan and vision who can occupy the country with such distracting issues, such as painting the country green and forcing the staff at Office of the President to wear green.

As she related the above, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence could be heard saying, “Bring the evidence!”

According to Manickchand, the government seems incapable of projecting growth, while noting that it had to readjust the numbers downwards twice over the last two years. She also questioned whether investors would want to come to the country and invest where heavily armed policemen are raiding the homes of citizens. “I want to ask them if frivolously charging political opponents, arresting them and charging them… has anything to do with people believing that this is an unstable place where an investment is not going to see growth.” she said.

She also mentioned the unilateral appointment of retired Justice James Patterson to the position of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, to which government members retorted, “Fit and proper!” Manickchand pointed out that this decision has been heavily criticised and she questioned whether it has anything to do with the fact that the country’s income is not as the Minister of Finance projected because people believe Guyana’s environment is not stable enough for investment.

She labelled the government incompetent and untrustworthy. “The APNU+AFC government is politically spiteful and happy with dumping years of democratic practice that has brought stability to this country. They are not business-friendly and they are without the ability to plan and or implement for a better Guyana,” she added.

During Manickchand’s presentation, there was sometimes insistent heckling by members of the government side and at one point former attorney general Anil Nandlall, while seated, turned to Speaker Dr. Barton Scotland with his hands gesticulating and said “Mr. Speaker, I can’t hear.” He was then asked to stand by the Speaker who informed him that there is a method by which the Speaker is addressed and that there should be no outburst in the Chamber. Nandlall then enquired about the method and was asked to take his seat but he insisted, adding, “You are not hearing the outburst from the other side?” While some of his colleagues said it was unfair and one even suggested that the Speaker would have to eject all of them, Scotland remained silent and eventually Nandlall took his seat and Manickchand continued her speech.

Meanwhile, another opposition member, Odinga Lumumba, during his presentation caused a slight uproar when he said former President Forbes Burnham stole elections. The government members protested and called for him to withdraw the statement, even as Attorney General Basil Williams rose to his feet and made a formal objection.

Scotland informed Lumumba that he should withdraw the statement and suggested he could express himself differently. Lumumba said while he withdraws the sentence there are historical documents that state clearly that the PNC rigged elections.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/12/08/manickchand-accuses-ministers-of-silence-on-overcoming-economys-challenges/

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Opposition Member of Parliament, Priya Manickchand on Thursday opened day four of the Budget Debates and immediately proceeded to describe the government’s 2018 fiscal plan as a “deh deh and checkbox budget.”

She surmised that the document was robotic in laying out a programme and plan for the development of Guyana and believes the budget is bare in addressing the issues and challenges faced by the country.

Manickchand said the government has failed, to date, to tell the nation what is its ideology and philosophy for Guyana, arguing that the former People’s Progressive Party government was clean on its vision for the nation.

Recalling the PPP’s performance in government, Manickchand said her party delivered development that benefited all groups of citizens, from young to old.

The PPP governed Guyana between 1992 and 2015.

Ms. Manaickchand said that the period of PPP rule saw reduced poverty and challenged the coalition government to continue to ensure that poverty is further reduced but hastened to point out that the 2018 budget was void of measure to support poverty reduction.

She boasted that the PPP had cut poverty by half during its term in office. “It means that all citizens of this country got a better standard of living regardless of who they were.”

“It is important that the government tells us what their philosophy is… the government does not have a plan and the budget did not present on.”

Turning her attention to the performance of the economy under the APNU+AFC, the PPP MP said there is a lack of a politically stable environment in which people feel comfortable to invest.

She said there are a number of reasons that continue to cause the economy to perform badly including the government’s incompetence and untrustworthy nature.

Added to that, the MP said the government needs to reverse the dumping years of democratic practices which brought stability to the country and become more business-friendly.

She urged the government to work with the opposition to craft and present a stimulus plan. “Where is the stimulus for a stagnant economy?” she asked.

Manickchand said most of the government’s policies and programs that are working are those that were started by the PPP while in government.

Source: http://newssourcegy.com/news/ppp-slashed-poverty-in-guyana-by-half-during-its-time-in-office-manickchand/

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Cap on CSEC subjects

Former Education Minister Priya Manickchand criticised the proposal to limit the number of subjects pursuable by Guyanese students sitting the Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) Examinations, dubbing the application a “threat by the Granger Government.”

Former Education Minister Priya Manickchand

In an interview with Guyana Times, the Member of Parliament responded to the call for change within the secondary educational system, noting that it is a misinformed decision, impeding on the rights students and their families.

The former Education Minister is of the view that the threatened ban has “not been informed by sense, statistics or the reality of where we are as a country or indeed a world.” As such, she posited that the banning students from writing as many subjects as they preferred is dictatorial and archaic.

In her objections, Manickchand went on to question the motive for such a direction, adding that it will only prevent students from exploring their personal potential. By doing so, she noted that Government send the message that they have no regard for the rights of children to make informed choices nor of the capabilities of children.

In her contention, the former Education Minister further indicated that of the ten to twelve thousands students sitting the CSEC examinations each year, less than two per cent actually pursue a total of about 15 subjects or more. With that, she questioned the extent of research conducted prior to this release of this projection, hinting that enough was not done in considering the possible effects.

As such, Manickchand recommended that Government do more research on the issue before solidifying the decision.

Moreover, the education activist pointed out that a rigid assessment system is generally employed by public schools in establishing the capability of each student before registration for the examinations. This therefore means she added, that a vetting process is conducted whereby the administration of the institutions review the student’s performance over the years and advises on the appropriate number of subjects.

The parliamentarian underlined her dismay in the potential outcomes of this proposal, noting that it will not only have a negative effect on the students and their families but also stands in the way of maintaining the country’s reputation of producing the region’s top performers. “It is sad that at a time when our country and our students have been continuously topping the Caribbean at CSEC, getting the scholarships given out by CXC… that this Administration would seek to dash the hopes of our young people,” she lamented.

“While most other countries are seeking to establish programmes to address their academically gifted children, our Government is bizarrely threatening to impose an environment where brilliance and high academic aspirations by our young people and their parents are to be seen as something to be ashamed of, to hide, and to stifle,” Manickchand noted. The former Minister’s position is backed by widespread criticism from sections of society as it is the majority opinion that the decision limit the avenues made available to students does not align with the best interest of the country’s youths, especially in the age of technology advancements.

Ever since the appointment of the new Administration two years ago, former Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine had expressed intentions on the Ministry’s behalf to place a cap on the number of subjects students are allowed to pursue through the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), primarily at the CSEC level. However, just days after the removal of Roopnaraine which saw the elevation of Junior Minister Nicolette Henry to the senior office, the Education Ministry has officially announced (through a circular disseminated to public second schools) that they exploring the possibility to implement this new system.

If executed, this limitation will bar students of senior secondary schools, including the sixth form institutions, from writing an excess of 10 subjects, while students originating from junior secondary schools will not be able to pursue more than six CSEC subjects.

Former Education Minister Priya Manickchand criticised the proposal to limit the number of subjects pursuable by Guyanese students sitting the Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) Examinations, dubbing the application a “threat by the Granger Government.”

The former Education Minister is of the view that the threatened ban has “not been informed by sense, statistics or the reality of where we are as a country or indeed a world.” As such, she posited that the banning students from writing as many subjects as they preferred is dictatorial and archaic.In an interview with Guyana Times, the Member of Parliament responded to the call for change within the secondary educational system, noting that it is a misinformed decision, impeding on the rights students and their families.

In her objections, Manickchand went on to question the motive for such a direction, adding that it will only prevent students from exploring their personal potential. By doing so, she noted that Government send the message that they have no regard for the rights of children to make informed choices nor of the capabilities of children.

In her contention, the former Education Minister further indicated that of the ten to twelve thousands students sitting the CSEC examinations each year, less than two per cent actually pursue a total of about 15 subjects or more. With that, she questioned the extent of research conducted prior to this release of this projection, hinting that enough was not done in considering the possible effects.

As such, Manickchand recommended that Government do more research on the issue before solidifying the decision.

Moreover, the education activist pointed out that a rigid assessment system is generally employed by public schools in establishing the capability of each student before registration for the examinations. This therefore means she added, that a vetting process is conducted whereby the administration of the institutions review the student’s performance over the years and advises on the appropriate number of subjects.

The parliamentarian underlined her dismay in the potential outcomes of this proposal, noting that it will not only have a negative effect on the students and their families but also stands in the way of maintaining the country’s reputation of producing the region’s top performers. “It is sad that at a time when our country and our students have been continuously topping the Caribbean at CSEC, getting the scholarships given out by CXC… that this Administration would seek to dash the hopes of our young people,” she lamented.

“While most other countries are seeking to establish programmes to address their academically gifted children, our Government is bizarrely threatening to impose an environment where brilliance and high academic aspirations by our young people and their parents are to be seen as something to be ashamed of, to hide, and to stifle,” Manickchand noted. The former Minister’s position is backed by widespread criticism from sections of society as it is the majority opinion that the decision limit the avenues made available to students does not align with the best interest of the country’s youths, especially in the age of technology advancements.

Ever since the appointment of the new Administration two years ago, former Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine had expressed intentions on the Ministry’s behalf to place a cap on the number of subjects students are allowed to pursue through the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), primarily at the CSEC level. However, just days after the removal of Roopnaraine which saw the elevation of Junior Minister Nicolette Henry to the senior office, the Education Ministry has officially announced (through a circular disseminated to public second schools) that they exploring the possibility to implement this new system.

If executed, this limitation will bar students of senior secondary schools, including the sixth form institutions, from writing an excess of 10 subjects, while students originating from junior secondary schools will not be able to pursue more than six CSEC subjects.

Source: https://guyanatimesgy.com/manickchand-criticises-threat-to-limit-students/

Former Education Minister Priya Manickchand has described Government’s decision to impose the Value Added Tax (VAT) on private education as “senseless and unimaginative”.

Manickchand told Guyana Times on Monday that the situation begged the question whether the David Granger-led Administration planned to stick with the promises it had made with respect to education.

Under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, the “Because We Care” Education Grant was introduced to the public school system in 2014, while Manickchand was Minister.

The initiative saw parents receiving $10,000 for each public school student annually that aided the schooling of children at the nursery, primary and secondary levels. To be eligible, children had to be registered with a public school.

Manickchand recalled that when the then PPP/C Government had introduced this new initiative, not only did it receive popular support, but the then A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) Opposition parties had conceded that it was a sensible decision.During that period, both parties, according to her, had suggested to the PPP/C Government that they should also extend the grant to include children attending private educational institutions.
The then Government had expressed its willingness to consider the recommendation, on the basis that APNU and AFC felt that “private school students were poor”.
Manickchand told Guyana Times that the Government’s new position on VAT on education, therefore, highlighted the grave “vindictiveness” and “flip-flop” approach that were evident each day.

“So, one year before you came into office, you said private school students were poor and are deserving of cash grants, an omission we had made as a government. One year later, you come in, and tax the hell out of them and their parents,” she noted.
The former Education Minister said it was “really sad” that parents were now being forced to consider how they would meet the monthly or termly school fees, in addition to surviving the increased taxation implemented by the new Government.

She said, “The average schoolchild (private school) has to pay $25,000 more in school fees. That is 50 lunches they are taking out of that child’s lunch kit. To do what? To fund extravagance by the Government? Travelling, travelling with large delegations. I mean, if we can cut back on that, then we can give our children the education that the Government said when they were campaigning.”

Manickchand continued, “It is really quite a shame. It is unnecessary. It is almost a punishment to the parents (and children) who want to do better for their children, so that these children can do better for Guyana.”

Although the policy has received widespread condemnation, Government remains firm on keeping the 14 per cent VAT that was applied to private education effective February 1, 2017.

Cabinet has taken the decision that the VAT on education will remain for the rest of 2017; however, during its 2018 budget planning, a review of the VAT regime would be done.

The PPP/C has made it clear that if it was reelected to office in 2020, it would reverse this and other policies it deemed unnecessary that were imposed on Guyanese by the coalition Government.

Source: https://guyanatimesgy.com/manickchand-dubs-govts-vat-on-education-policy-senseless/

– dubs it “strangest bill ever”

The controversial State Assets Recovery Authority (SARA) Bill 2017 has been labelled “poorly drafted” and the “strangest bill ever” by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and former Minister, Priya Manickchand.

PPP/C MP Priya Manickchand

Manickchand told the National Assembly on Thursday that the Bill not only undermined constitutional offices and office holders, but showed reckless disregard for the country’s supreme law (the Constitution).
The former Minister pointed out that there was no proper consultation, and despite widespread condemnation, the Government was still determined to have the Bill passed.

While explaining that the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is not against asset recovery, Manickchand stated that the Government did not go about crafting this bill the right way.

“I believe the concept of asset recovery is excellent, it is needed, and it is timely. But it is the way it is being done. And we are not against corruption or dealing with corrupt politicians. This is why we, on this side of the House, brought a motion to the National Assembly to say ‘declare your assets’,” she recalled.

The outspoken PPP MP said a government that was genuinely concerned about addressing corruption would have voted in favour of that motion, which called on every member of the House, including those in Opposition, to declare their assets.

“This Bill is worthy of being thrown into the garbage…I believe strongly that this is a defining time in our country. This Bill in these circumstances concretizes what this Government is and our move into a descent in this culture,” she added.

Source: https://guyanatimesgy.com/manickchand-says-sara-bill-2017-poorly-drafted/