Childcare centres for young professionals were born from conversations with young teachers – Pres Ali

…initiative aims to ease work-life balance, boost retention in the education sector

In a bold step to support the nation’s young workforce, especially those in education, President Irfaan Ali announced that the Government will establish childcare facilities across the country, a move aimed at helping young professionals, particularly women, better balance career and family life.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the new $940.7 million Christ Church Secondary School on Thursday, President Ali said the initiative was born from direct conversations with young teachers who have expressed concerns about delaying parenthood due to the lack of childcare support.

President Ali recounted that he’s heard this common concern, which places emphasis on the fact that professional women are deferring motherhood in order to meet their teaching obligations, largely due to the unavailability of safe, affordable childcare options – something the Government has set out to address.
“Over the last three months I’ve heard a kind of common theme throughout the conversation; that is, we are postponing our family life. We are postponing building our own family, and I sought to analyse what we can do to ensure that our teachers don’t have to postpone an important part of living a quality life, and one of the big reasons is childcare facilities, because young teachers, especially females, cannot come up with a formula through which they can take care of their babies and children whilst they’re in school.”
“So, we have decided that as we confront this challenge not only for teachers but for young professionals, we have to make a series of investments across the country in childcare facilities that will enable our young people – that would enable our young professionals to pursue their career and pursue their jobs without postponing other important aspects of a quality life,” he added.
According to the Guyanese leader, the childcare initiative is part of a broader national push to achieve universal secondary education by 2026 and ensure that 100 per cent of teachers are trained or in training by the end of 2025, without deferring motherhood.
President Ali stressed that these are not isolated efforts but interconnected policies designed to build a stronger, more resilient education system while retaining talent and improving the quality of life for professionals.
“So that is something we have decided that we’re going to make targeted and serious investment in: childcare and child-friendly environments to support our young professionals, especially women in our society. So, as I said, our target is clear: universal secondary education by the end of next year. 100% trained or in training teachers by the end of this year or teachers in training. Now you may ask, Why this investment? You may ask, Why this investment in achieving universal secondary education? Because secondary education is no longer a luxury, and I want us to understand this. It is a necessity. It is no longer optional. It is mandatory for survival and success in today’s world.”
The Head of State further explained that the move is also expected to improve retention rates in the teaching profession, particularly among young women who often leave due to family pressures or childcare concerns.
By offering institutional support, the Government hopes to make teaching – and other public service careers – more viable and family-friendly long-term professions.