‘Because We Care’ cash grant distribution commences in additional regions 

The ‘Because We Care’ school cash grant distribution commenced in Regions Three, Four and Six this week.

Parents and guardians of students living in the regions are advised to check the Ministry of Education’s distribution schedule posted to their Facebook page for guidance on the date and area to uplift the grant.

This year the cash grant is $50,000 and the uniform voucher is $5,000, making it a total of $55,000 that each child will benefit from.

In Region Four, some $2.1 billion is expected to be distributed in Georgetown, another $1 billion along the East Bank of Demerara and $1.2 billion along the East Coast of Demerara, according to Education Minister Priya Manickchand.

Manickchand explained that the school registration lists were prepared in advance to make the process easier.

“No complaints about waiting time or people not getting their grant and it’s smooth though because we put a lot of back work into it,” the minister said.

When the distribution concludes across all regions, there will be a ‘mop up’ distribution period to ensure that parents and guardians who missed their dates due to circumstances, can uplift the grants.

Manickchand also noted that parents have the option of authorising trusted persons to uplift the grant on their behalf. The authorised person would have to present proof of identification for themselves and the parent or guardian of the child.