Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has announced plans to provide transportation assistance to schoolchildren through a grant beginning next term, aiming to alleviate the burden on parents and improve access to education.
The Vice President made this revelation while congratulating students who participated in this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), especially Tanasha Myers for her perfect score.
He recalled the situation decades ago when only 35 per cent of students taking the Common Entrance Examination, now National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) could secure secondary school placements, while 65 per cent were confined to community high schools or upper primary classes, often missing the chance to take the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.
“Many children were effectively judged as failures at just 10 or 11 years old, and many dropped out or pursued non-academic paths,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
The Vice President expressed pride in government investments that have since expanded secondary education nationwide and incentivised private schooling by removing corporate taxes.
Today, all students who took the NGSA will have the opportunity to write the CSEC exams when they reach the appropriate age, regardless of their assessment scores.
“This means 100 per cent of NGSA students will write the CSEC, with government funding covering up to eight subjects for each child in both public and private sectors,” he added.
He urged the public to refrain from viewing lower NGSA scores as failures, noting that exams are just one step in a child’s educational journey.
Jagdeo, who also served as President of Guyana, said the significant budget increases, from $53 billion to $185 billion, and the hiring of 3,000 additional teachers have lowered the student-teacher ratio to approximately 12:1, one of the best worldwide.
“We have made university and tertiary education free and continue to invest in reforms to provide world-class education for every child,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
