$500Million COVID-19 support for the Education Sector 

— to be used to better equip schools, fund safer facilities 

Students and teachers continue to be at the forefront of the Ministry of Education’s plans to foster safe and conducive learning environments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this regard, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday, announced that the PPP/C Administration is providing $500Million to the Ministry of Education to aid in its COVID-19 school plan.

In an address to the nation, the Head of State said the $500M is expected to equip schools and provide COVID-19 support services and facilities for children and teachers to remain safe when it becomes practical to return to physical learning spaces.

The President expressed deep concern for the over 100,000 students who have been disrupted by the pandemic, not having been engaged academically in a traditional way since schools closed in March.

We are particularly concerned about the impact of non-traditional school structures and also, the unavailability of resources and infrastructure especially in our hinterland, [for] our children with disabilities and our children who don’t have access to data or internet,” His Excellency remarked. 

In the interim, the delivery of the curriculum will be provided via the Guyana Learning Channel, state radio broadcasting along with privately-owned media houses.

Minister of Education, Hon. Priya Manickchand, was tasked by the President to develop a plan to address the delivery of education to children in the new COVID-19 reality. The comprehensive plan will be aimed at ensuring that children can remain engaged in learning.

The President reminded that the decision, to keep physical learning spaces closed in September, was made after consultation with various stakeholders to safeguard the health of teachers, students and auxiliary staff.

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