Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo highlighted that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government hired about 3,000 teachers since taking office in 2020, resulting in a teaching workforce of about 12,000 strong.
With that many teachers in the public sector, Jagdeo posited that Guyanese children can get more personalised attention from teachers as the student-to-teacher ratio is much lower.
The government, since 2020, has also been pushing for all teachers to be trained. Jagdeo, the PPP General Secretary, said teachers’ training is ably supported by the government. He also reminded reporters at his weekly press conference that tertiary education is now free, allowing teachers and other citizens to access education opportunities.
The Vice President said these aren’t the only gains made in the education sector. He listed the investments made in new schools and programmes to support children and their families.
“So when I see now the opposition trying to distort what we have been doing, I hope people pay attention to the facts,” Jagdeo said.
Public investments in the education sector soared from $53 billion in 2020 to $185 billion in 2025.
This year alone, an impressive $36.2 billion was allocated for the construction and rehabilitation of educational facilities across the country. This allocation facilitates major enhancement works on nursery, primary, and secondary schools countrywide, contributing 20,000 additional spaces for students.
The Ministry has also invested heavily in developing smart classrooms in schools across Guyana, while placing renewed focus on technical and vocational education.
The children’s ‘Because we Care’ cash grant and uniform allowance – totaling $55,000 per child – was also reintroduced after it was discontinued by the former APNU+AFC government.
Additionally, the Education Ministry has expanded its national school feeding programme through which close to 90,000 students – particularly those from hinterland regions – receive breakfast and hot meals with a beverage.
Further, the government this year announced that it will cover the full cost of Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exam fees for up to eight subjects for every student in both public and private schools. This is in addition to a fulfilled manifesto promise of making the University of Guyana (UG) free to all Guyanese.
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