National Literacy Programme Launched to Tackle Reading Challenges
August 7 2025
The Ministry of Education today launched its National Literacy Programme during a ceremony at the Pegasus Corporate Suites in Georgetown, marking a major step in the government’s efforts to ensure that every child in Guyana can read by the end of Grade 4.
The initiative, which officially began in 2023, aims to address the deep-rooted literacy challenges that have persisted across successive governments.
It is a comprehensive strategy designed to target students from nursery to primary levels who have not yet achieved reading benchmarks, as well as those the education system has historically failed.
As part of the programme, the Ministry will strengthen community libraries, collaborate with the Ministry of Human Services to reach juvenile learners, and roll out instructional videos to support learning at all levels. The initiative is positioned as a critical part of the government’s wider education reform agenda.
According to Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, the broader agenda, outlined in the government’s manifesto, has already seen significant progress. It included raising the overall quality of education, expanding access to learning opportunities across all regions, improving teacher training and remuneration, and implementing support systems such as textbook distribution, school feeding programmes, and cash grants.
The Minister noted that every promise made under this framework has been fulfilled.
Minister Manickchand stated that since the implementation of the reform plan, the Ministry has constructed nursery, primary, and secondary schools in every region and trained over 9,000 teachers, with an emphasis on boosting both the quantity and quality of the teaching workforce.
She added that more than $11 billion has been invested to ensure children are properly uniformed, with an additional school grant expected soon. The Ministry has also examined the development of a healthy breakfast programme to support students’ readiness to learn, emphasizing that no child should be forced to study on an empty stomach.
She announced that efforts are also underway to tackle the alarming reality that some students reach Grade 6 without being able to read, noting that the Ministry is taking action to hold schools accountable, calling for stronger teacher support, continuous training and retraining, and improved classroom staffing.
The minister further stated that materials are being distributed through the Book Distribution Unit to support these goals.
The initiative emphasizes that all schools—regardless of location—must offer high-quality education and that resources must be distributed fairly and equitably. Stakeholder support, including from parents and communities, is being encouraged to help enforce accountability and raise standards in the classroom.
The National Literacy Programme is expected to be a transformative force in Guyana’s education system, aiming to ensure that no child is left behind and that each student leaves Grade 4 with the ability to read confidently.
