Students in Regions Seven and Nine are set to benefit from the rollout of the $55,000 ‘Because We Care’ cash grant distribution, which commenced today.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand, in a statement today, reassured that students in other regions of Guyana will receive their grants within the next month.
Every school-aged child will receive a $55,000 cash grant and a $5,000 uniform voucher.
“But the entire country will be served within about one month to five weeks, and I’m looking forward to all of you—parents and families—receiving this so that you can better prepare your children for school in September. We have seen increased retention and attendance. We believe this initiative has been a great relief to parents, and we are very happy to bring this to you. So, see you in Regions Seven and Nine this week. Remember to take along your ID cards, passports, or driver’s licence, or have someone in the village or school identify you if you do not have an ID card,” she noted.
Minister Manickchand, speaking with the media recently, reminded that the eligibility criterion is that the child must be on the school’s register, which must be verified by the region’s education department and the Central Ministry.
In cases where a parent or guardian is unavailable to collect the grant, an authorisation letter may be presented.
She assured that the process will be extremely smooth and encouraged parents and guardians to pay attention to announcements made by the ministry to stay updated with distribution schedules.
Minister Manickchand also indicated that there are more available collection locations for the distribution this year and assured that strict security measures will be in place to ensure safety.
She added that the ministry has the full cooperation of the police, as well as private security services, which will help ensure the process is conducted safely across all 10 administrative regions.
The minister reiterated that the ministry will ensure that every eligible child receives the grant before the start of the new school term.
