Georgetown: Approximately 165,000 school uniform vouchers are to be distributed to parents at the Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 and Georgetown Departments of Education during the phase of distribution that began today.
The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs will be responsible for distribution in Regions 1, 8 and 9.
Every child attending a Government school is entitled to uniform assistance under the National School Uniform Programme which is intended to reduce the financial burden on families.
On the coastland, that assistance is administered by the Ministry of Education and given by way of voucher that is used to make purchases at accredited stores, while in the hinterland fabric is given to the various women’s groups in the respective villages for sewing uniforms.
Parents, guardians and secondary schools students with a National Identification Card are able to uplift vouchers.
Apart from the Uniform programme, the Administration in an effort to increase enrolment and attendance rates, as well as reduce the drop-out rate, introduced a new initiative which will see every nursery, primary and secondary age child in the government school system receiving a $10,000 cash grant. This is expected to be available in September.
In 2013, Government expended over $1 billion on the National School Feeding Programme to the benefit of over 65,000 children, while $208 million was spent on the Uniform Programme, benefitting over 139,000 children.
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