MoE rolls out $1.8B School Supplies Cash Grant initiative nationwide

The Education Ministry kicked off its School Supplies Cash Grant distribution exercise on Monday in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supernaan) amid strike actions by teachers along the Essequibo Coast and around the country.
The grant was implemented in September 2023 and is aimed at providing financial relief to teachers, helping to improve and manage classrooms more effectively and getting relevant supplies promptly at a preferred quality.
Under the grant, teachers are allowed to purchase the necessary office, field and janitorial supplies needed for their classrooms.

As such, a total of $1.8 billion will be distributed to schools across the country and cater to the expenses expected to be incurred for two school terms.
Schools along the coastline will receive $4,500 per student per term while in hinterland schools will receive $5,500 per student per term.
In nursery and primary schools along the coast, teachers will be receiving $3,500 per student while $1,000 will remain with the school’s administrative department to offset expenses in common areas.
Similarly in Hinterland Nursery and primary schools, $4,500 will be given to the teacher and the remaining $1,000 will be used by the school’s administrative department to offset common expenses.
For secondary schools, the monies will be given to Heads of Departments who will then consult with his/her teachers to decide which items are most needed for their departments.
Education Minister, Priya Manickchand visited the Essequibo Coast to distribute the grant at the Anna Regina Secondary School and the Abram Zuil Secondary School while Senior Education Officers were fanned out across the coast.
Auditors were present to ensure the transparency and accountability of the programme as is the case with every other cash grant for which the Ministry had responsibility.
Delivering brief remarks in Region Two, Manickchand stated suggestions were taken into consideration following the first distribution process to make the implementation of the grant more effective.
She noted that one of the changes made was to the list which guided teachers in their purchases.
The minister explained that a request was made to the Ministry of Finance to budget the grant under Subvention for Grants which will result in a wider latitude of what can be bought.
The other complaint teachers had was that some Headteachers did not give the grant to teachers and bought in bulk what they thought teachers needed which defeated the purpose of the grant. The change this year is to give one sum to the school and another sum to the teacher.
It was noted that to ensure the programme is transparent, teachers are still required to present receipts of their purchases. Additionally, a memo will be sent out detailing the distribution of the grant.
Upon returning from the Essequibo Coast, Minister Manickchand visited the Central Bank of Guyana where she witnessed the monies for the grant being transferred into the bank accounts of 41 schools across the country.
This is a significant development as previously; most schools did not have a bank account and many teachers were not keen on utilizing the Parent-Teachers’ Association’s bank account to transact business.
Some schools that received their grants via bank payments were New Campbellville Secondary, Dora Secondary School, Auchlyne Primary School, Patentia Secondary School and Soesdyke #2 Nursery School.
This programme forms part of the government’s commitment to supporting teachers and advancing the provision of high-quality education. The grant’s implementation, together with the other initiatives, has been providing teachers with the tools they need to deliver the curriculum and achieve notable outcomes.