THE Peoples’ Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has made good on its promise to transform the education sector, with the construction and expansion of over 100 schools, the training of more than 9,000 teachers and the nationwide rollout of key literacy and nutrition programmes.
This was reaffirmed by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, during the launch of the National Literacy Programmes on Thursday, where she outlined the sweeping changes and achievements made over the past five years in alignment with the PPP/C’s 2020 manifesto.
Manickchand highlighted that the education sector plan was built around expanding access to quality education at all levels, improving the conditions for learning and teaching and creating equitable opportunities for students across Guyana, especially in rural and hinterland areas.
The Minister pointed to the heart of this effort which is expanding school infrastructure.
“If you look at me and tell me building a school means nothing, then I will tell you, you don’t know the people you are serving. Because for them, they have to start with getting into a school before we can begin anything else that is fancy,” she said while stressing the importance of physical access to education.
Over the last five years, the Ministry has constructed 42 new secondary schools and extended many more including the Yarrowkabra Secondary School on the Soesdyke Highway, which now accommodates 1,100 students.
“We’ve opened the school. It has 1,100 children in it right now and we’re doing a 12-classroom extension; because where you build schools, children move. Their lives are changing, and their children’s lives will change because of that,” she explained.
Additionally, the Ministry is building 54 nursery schools, reconstructing 13 and expanding 39, bringing Guyana closer to universal nursery education. The primary level has seen similar investments with 24 new primary schools built, 20 reconstructed and 39 extended nationwide.
Alongside infrastructure, the Government has focused heavily on the quality of education. More than 9,000 teachers have graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) in the last four years, contributing to a trained teaching population of nearly 15,000 educators across the country.
Support to families has also been central. Manickchand reminded that the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, now valued at $55,000 per child, has benefitted families nationwide with a total investment of close to $11 billion.
This, the Minister said, is what was “promised and delivered.”

Manickchand further disclosed that a transportation grant is soon to be introduced for students, further easing the cost of education.
Nutrition and literacy are also top priorities. The school breakfast programme, which provides meals for Grades Three to Six, now serves 47,000 breakfasts daily. The meals are designed by dieticians and prepared by single-parent mothers, promoting both child nutrition and women’s employment.
Acknowledging some public complaints, the Minister encouraged feedback, stating that all schools now have a QR code where parents and stakeholders can scan and submit suggestions.
“The Government’s intention is to give your children a healthy, nutritious meal, and anyone who gets in the way of that cannot be your friend, cannot serve with us and so we’re very clear about that,” she said.
In parallel, access to learning materials has been significantly improved, with textbooks provided to all students as part of the drive to strengthen reading and literacy skills.