$3B investment in school textbooks is enhancing learning – President Ali

The massive $3 billion investment in textbooks to date provides every child with equitable access to adequate learning resources.

The government’s robust five-year education strategic plan for 2030 seeks to transform the sector with the implementation of various measures to achieve universal secondary education.

“By the end of this year, all primary and secondary school students will have access to a minimum of four textbooks per student, due to this investment in the education sector,” His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali disclosed at a press conference on Wednesday.

More than $3.4 billion was allocated to procure textbooks for primary and secondary schools in this year’s budget.

The $40,000 ‘Because We Care’ cash grant has also proven successful in assisting families with school-aged children by increasing attendance and lowering school drop-out rates.

In 2023, some $8.5 billion was distributed to parents and guardians countrywide to offset these expenses.  

With the construction and expansion of several educational facilities countrywide, the government is well on track to achieving universal secondary education. 

Additionally, since assuming office in August 2020, the government has completed several nursery, primary, and secondary schools nationwide.

“The government has maintained 526 schools or 58 per cent of all the schools annually. We have started a programme…At the end of last year, the Government of Guyana launched an audit in health, and education, on all our facilities, so that the result of that audit could inform the multi-year budgetary planning and we have started to implement that programme,” Dr. Ali highlighted.

The head of state reaffirmed his government’s commitment to investing heavily in the sector.

The head of state added that, “These are just a glimpse of some of the highlights and qualitative impacts of the investment we have made in the education sector.”

A total of $94.4 billion was allocated in 2023 to further improve the quality of education.