“Because We Care” cash grant distribution to begin on June 5

The Education Ministry will commence the distribution of the increased “Because We Care” cash grant for schoolchildren across the country from June 5.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand announced the continuation of the Government programme that aims to provide financial assistance to families with regard to their children’s educational needs, via a social media post on Wednesday.
This year, the grant amounts to $40,000 per child.
“I’m saying per child and not per family, so if you have four children going to school, it’s going to be $160,000 for that family. If you have 10 children, it’s $400,000 for that family,” Manickchand said.
The Minister noted that more than 214,000 children this year are eligible to receive the grant.
“Eligibility really means that you’re on the register of a public or private school and that you are attending school and we got your names from your school,” Manickchand clarified.
As such, any child attending a private or public school, from the nursery level all the way up to Grade 10 or the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level, is able to receive this grant.
Pupils entering nursery school this year must have been registered by April 14 to be eligible.
“If you’re going to be doing CAPE then once you register for CAPE subjects for the new academic year, we’ll pay you in or around October,” Minister Manickchand added.
To uplift the grant, the Education Minister advised, families should pay keen attention to the schedules to be posted on social media and other platforms following which the beneficiaries are expected to go to the school or the cluster that the school is in.
Across the country, the grant can be uplifted by parents or guardians with valid forms of identification from June 5 to June 9.
Those unable to uplift the grant can authorise another person to do so.
Last year, the cash grant increased from $19,000 to $25,000, while the school uniform and supplies grant increased from $4000 to $5000, bringing 2022’s total grant to $30,000.