“You have the privilege of being young at the best time in the history of our country”- Dr. Singh
See the full statement from the Ministry of Finance Below:
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh told students of Queen’s College on Camp Street (prior to handing over ‘Because We Care’ cash grants) that there has never a better time in the entire history of Guyana to be a young person than the current period. The Minister was leading the roll out of the cash grant which commenced today and explained that young people now have vast opportunities as Guyana is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with a rapidly changing economy, not only due to oil and gas, but also due to major development in several other sectors and with the country’s economy being the fastest growing in the world.
“You have the privilege of being young at the best time in the history of our country,” Dr. Singh told students at the school which he also attended during his Secondary School years. He advised them further to “Seize that privilege and the opportunities that it brings and convert it in not only achieving greatness in terms of personal success but playing your part in achieving greater success in terms of your family, the community in which you belong and for the country for which you are a part. You are the future of Guyana. Your successes will determine the success of our country. You are literally the Guyana of tomorrow. I encourage you to do all you possibly can to ensure that future is as bright as it could possibly be. We, your government will play our part to all we can to ensure the realization of this bright future. This cash grant represents one part of our commitment to ensuring you realize that vast potential.”
The Senior Finance Minister also emphasized that Government’s commitment is to ensure that it creates the necessary conditions for today’s generation of young Guyanese to have a good quality education. He added that the cash grant disbursement would go a long way in meeting the critical needs of students in order for them to purchase stationery, uniforms and other school supplies, adding that the total countrywide disbursement will place $ 6 Billion into the hands of parents of these children.
Dr. Singh reminded that while the $30,000 cash grants would assist parents in ensuring that their children have access to a good education, items purchased alone would not enable them to have this good quality education unless parents and teachers both work together consistently as a whole and do all they can to ensure that children attend school regularly, do their homework as well as complete all assignments. The Senior Finance Minister explained further that Government would continue to assist in all the areas it is required to, such as construction of schools, the provision of text books and other school supplies and in ensuring that quality teachers are placed at each school. He also pointed out that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government intends to keep its commitment of moving the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant to $50,000 by the end of its current term.
In 2021, Government disbursed a total of $3.3 Billion in ‘Because We Care” cash grants to public school students countrywide. The cash grants were also extended to students attending private schools where each child received $19,000 amounting to a total of $284.8 million. This amount was increased to $30,000 this year.
