EDU MIN Slams Opposition for Education Failures, Defends 2025 Budget

– Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has strongly criticized the opposition for its handling of the education sector during its time in office and its refusal to support key measures in the 2025 budget aimed at improving access and quality nationwide.

Defending the government’s $1.38 trillion budget in the National Assembly on the third day of debates at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Minister Manickchand pointed to the previous administration’s budgetary allocations, which she claimed led to declines in education and health indicators, despite the introduction of over 200 taxes and fees.

Major Investments in the 2025 Budget

The Education Ministry’s ambitious plans for 2025 will be backed by a $175 billion allocation, including:

$36.2 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of educational facilities
$2 billion to expand the Ministry of Education’s textbook programme
$13.4 billion to finance UG’s operations following the abolition of tuition fees
$5.5 billion for the National School Feeding Programme
$2.6 billion to expand access to Technical Vocational Education and Training
Minister Manickchand accused the opposition of opposing crucial educational improvements by rejecting the budget.

Expanding Access to Education

Minister Manickchand also criticized the state of teacher training infrastructure inherited in 2020, noting that while there were 16 learning sites for the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), none were operational at the time.

She posited that at this time, the ministry has 123 learning sites, as a result of which we were able to graduate 4,378 teachers over the last four years.

She emphasized the government’s commitment to education, citing a $39 billion investment in educational infrastructure over the last four years, which has included the construction of 28 new secondary schools. Additionally, she highlighted the impact of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), which provides free tertiary education opportunities for thousands of Guyanese.

Addressing university affordability, she reaffirmed the government’s decision to remove tuition fees at the University of Guyana (UG):

“We have declared that the University of Guyana is going to be tuition free for all. We have declared that there are going to be no facilities fees at the University of Guyana for any student. We have declared that those who have already paid for this academic year will get a refund for their second and third semesters.”

Tackling Mathematics Performance

Minister Manickchand acknowledged the persistent challenge of mathematics performance, both in Guyana and across the Caribbean.

She recalled that in 2016, the then-government conducted a Commission of Inquiry into poor math results, but according to her, the findings were never published or acted upon.

In contrast, she pointed to the government’s Mathematics Intervention Initiative, which targets 50 schools and introduces Math Monitors to improve teaching and student outcomes.

Every child has been given a scientific calculator, geometry sets, graph books and a pass paper booklet organized by topics, she stated, adding that the ministry is sending in math monitors, going to schools, interacting with with parents.

Minister Manickchand also underscored her tenure’s track record, noting:

“The best Mathematics pass rate that this country ever got, save 2020, was in 2015 under my leadership in the Ministry at 45 per cent. The best English rate was in 2024 under my leadership in the Ministry at 70.84 per cent.”

She described the opposition’s past budgets for being oppressive, arguing that they instilled fear and hopelessness among Guyanese.

Highlighting unfulfilled promises from the opposition’s 2015 manifesto, she stated:

“They promised increased emoluments and improved working conditions for teachers, failed. They promised an improved quality of education, equal access to education, [to] distinguish between male and female learning strategies and devise learning strategies with a view of reducing the male dropout rate… all failed.”

The budget debates continue as the government and opposition battle over its provisions and long-term impact on Guyana’s development.