Children will get special help and extra tutoring to become fluent readers and writers by Grade Four in primary schools nationwide, as the government launched the National Literacy Programmes on Thursday.

In a historic and bold move by the Ministry of Education, this transformative initiative is set to begin in the new school term.

It features several programmes that focus on improving reading and writing skills among school-aged children as well as the wider community.

The National Literacy Website, which forms a major part of the initiative, was also launched.

This website provides the resources needed to equip children, teachers, and parents with soft copy textbooks for all ages, manuals for teachers and other learning materials.

The website is user-friendly and can be easily accessed by anyone.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand delivered the feature address during the programme’s launch at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre in Kingston, Georgetown.

She explained that the initiative was launched because some students were entering secondary schools while unable to read.

The minister also highlighted the rigorous efforts made by the Ministry’s Literacy Department to make this significant milestone a reality.

According to the minister, the initiative began in 2023.

“We are trying to meet children who come into the system and don’t meet the benchmarks they have to meet at the end of nursery, end of primary, end of secondary,” the minister stated. “Once they can read, they can do almost anything else. This, my friends, is the game changer in the education system.”

Apart from the launch, an exhibition was held, showcasing all the different components and resources available through the programme.

Meanwhile, as part of ongoing efforts to promote reading and literacy among children, libraries were established in all schools countrywide in 2024.

The goal of the libraries is to foster a love for reading among the nation’s children. The library system allows students to borrow, catalogue and return the books.

These literacy programmes are a component of the broader vision and investments made by the PPP/C Government to support all aspects of the education sector.

Initiatives such as the textbooks programme, the school feeding programme and the ‘Because we care’ cash grant are other impactful projects that support families with school-aged children.

In the coming year, a transportation grant for the children will be introduced, providing additional relief.

These multipronged initiatives form the backbone of the government’s mandate to promote a culture of learning among all children, regardless of where they reside in Guyana.

The 2025 budget allocated $175 billion to the education sector.