Teachers across Guyana will receive cash grants to purchase classroom supplies each term, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand announced on Friday when the distribution started.
Educators teaching on the coast will receive $4,000 per to make purchases for each student in their classroom while teachers in the hinterland will receive $5,500 for each student in their classroom.
“The child doesn’t get the money, the value of $4,000 goes to the teacher.
“So for a classroom with 30 children the teacher is going to get $120,000 per term to buy whatever she wants to buy in the lines of janitorial, field and office.
“In the hinterland it’s going to be $5,500 per child because things are more expensive and transportation costs and so on take up prices. A class of 30 in the hinterland would be $165,000 that teacher is going to be getting per term for preparation in the classroom,” Minister Manickchand explained in a video posted to her Facebook page on Friday.
This assistance is part of the holistic approach taken by the Education Ministry to respond to the needs of teachers with training, smaller classrooms and now cash grants.
Over the years some regions gave grants to schools and the goods were bought in bulk but teachers said things that they already had were being stocked up, meaning actual needs were not met and items were delivered after long periods of waiting
Minister Manickchand added that the teachers and parents have over the years complained about having to provide the materials for classrooms from their own pockets. As such, the Minister raised the issue at Cabinet and it was approved.
The grants allow teachers to prepare and maintain their classrooms as they see fit by purchasing the janitorial, office and field supplies that they need such as chalk, play-doh, markers, cardboards, crayons and cleaning supplies.
I think that this is a good initiative and II laud he Government for taking such a decision.