Conscience, if the truth hurts you, it is still the truth. Big bad Burnham never shut me up so you can never shut me up.

Truth is, the PPP regime has indeed allocated large sums of money to the education sector during the past 21 years. The quality of education delivered, however, and the results obtained have not matched expections. Teachers are still leaving the schools and indeed Guyana in large numbers. The dropout rate of pupils in secondary schools is alarming.

Meanwhile, favoured PPP contractors and suppliers are laughing all the way to the bank.

The PPP always cares about children and their education. $10,000 across the board for every child countrywide. This is making a lot of people jealous right now and them mouth set fuh cuss me for glamoring the PPP goodness. 

No amount of red herring throw in the discussion would derail the thread, away from the good initiative of the state.

Conscious, I can't get enough of this goodness gracious scene from the two most caring people in Guyana, President Ramotar and Priya Manickchand. Everywhere they go there is a tremendous crowd waiting to greet them. This is not even a campaign rally. I can sense a landslide victory coming the PPP way. 

We're talking about budgetary allocations for education. You introduced that theme. The discussion doesn't end when the budget debates in parliament end. How has all that money been spent, and on what?

If the large education allocations were effectively and efficiently utilized the past 21 years, the President won't have been forced to leave his desk and personally hand out $10,000 grants in the various regions today.

   Investments in Our People

a.         Education

4.70          Mr. Speaker, the new Education Strategic Plan for 2014 to 2018 is currently being finalised and is anticipated to focus on improving literacy rates, early childhood development, teacher training, enrolment in single sciences, technical vocational educational programmes, and more structured partnerships with private sector providers and parents.

4.71          In 2013, $28.5 billion was expended towards the final year of the last strategic plan. A sum of $2.7 billion was spent on the infrastructure of schools and other educational facilities, including commencing the reconstruction of One Mile Primary School, La Venture Secondary School and Parfaite Harmonie Primary. Additionally, the $50 million Harold B Davis Special School for differently-abled children was commissioned in January this year. In addition 16 secondary computer labs were completed as part of our efforts to ensure all secondary schools have access to IT. Another $35.2 million was expended towards the commencement of the University of Guyana Science and Technology Support initiative, while $50 million was made available to ensure greater access to tertiary level education via online programmes.

4.72          Further, in the area of teacher training we continued the upgrading programme in the communities in Regions 1, 8 and 9 permitting more hinterland persons to be eligible to access the Trained Teacher’s Certificate Programme and under which 159 teachers were certified in 2013. Additionally 177 teachers have entered the system as trained teachers from CPCE. Over $1 billion was expended on the National School Feeding Programme to the benefit of over 65,000 children, while $208 million was spent on the National Uniform Programme, benefitting over 139,000 children in our efforts to ensure improved attendance and attentiveness in the classroom.

4.73          Mr. Speaker, in 2014, the sum of $32.3 billion has been allocated towards the implementation of the first year of our new Education Strategic Plan.

4.74          This year we have allocated $2.9 billion towards the construction, rehabilitation, extension and maintenance of our educational facilities including a new and expanded Zeeburg Secondary School and the Kato Secondary complex. Moreover, we will commence implementation of a US$10 million Universal Secondary Education initiative, which will facilitate the construction of new secondary schools and provision of materials for improved teaching techniques and technology assisted learning in mathematics. Our teacher training college will continue to offer their existing programmes, as well as focus on the appraisal and development of their lecturers including having some teachers pursue postgraduate degrees. We will intensify our efforts to eliminate illiteracy and strengthen public awareness to ensure that parents understand their vital role in the literacy development of their children. In the area of ICT, Government will allocate resources to ensure that an additional 2,500 teachers are trained, and all of our secondary schools are equipped with computer laboratories before the end of 2014.

4.75          Mr. Speaker, we recognise that equipping our young people with technical vocational education training (TVET) skills linked with entrepreneurship training is an assured option for enabling their viability, and this year we will expand opportunities to include occupational programmes to support the mining and hospitality industries.

4.76          Continued emphasis will also be placed on tertiary education with an allocation of $1.4 billion towards the operation of both campuses of the University of Guyana, inclusive of $450 million for our student loan programme.  Later this year our students will have the option of online degree programmes for the first time ever. Also, through the University of Guyana Science and Technology Support initiative 14 science and technology buildings will be rehabilitated and equipped and a feasibility study for the new Centre of Excellence for the Study of Biodiversity will commence. Futher, 17 programmes have been identified for curriculum reform which will be designed and tested over a 3 year period.

excerpts from Budget speech 2014

EXACTLY!

How much of dat goes to the learning channel to pay Bobby Ramroop / Jagdeo bogus TV operation?

Yuh ent hear, boy? Dat is red herring.

Those PPP hacks think we the people are dummies.

They think we have short memory.

They think we don't have the ability to make connections and draw conclusions.

They want us the people to just see a $10,000 grant just as a great goodie, in isolation from past actions or future designs.

They think the people don't have the brains to know that the measly $10,000 is a cheap partisan gimmick.

Even Rev asserted the thing is a bribe.

Rev might have some wutlessness, but he is frank and honest. That's his bottom line.

Dat Conscience chap ent got a dot of conscience.

It's gonna tek nuff nuff 10,000 dollar to add up to that 200 Million dollars a year pension.

PPP think everyone is as dunce as they are.

I like this.  Money for poor families. I am all for it.

Wallace the 200 Million a year is not for poor families.

Poor families of all races and colors appreciate the help. It's a good deed; leave politics aside. 

When you are starving if someone offers you a peanut you would appreciate it.

If I am starving I will look for a dry coconut. One peanut wouldn't won't do anything for my hunger.

Tell that to the PPP/C. They started this bribery. The timing is wrong. It is seen as a bribe and many believe it is a bribe.

Yippee for the poor guys, they should be getting 100k each family.

You think welfare in the US is bribery?

NO. We cannot leave politics aside. The whole exercise is politics, to begin with.

All those recipients of the $10,000 grant should give thanks to the AFC.

If the AFC didn't put up that no-confidence notice, the PPP regime would not have been feverishly doling out the dollars today.

The two are inter-connected.

leave politics aside you have to love these PPP clowns. I keep saying they think everyone is as dunce as they are.

Another favorite term they have is lets not politicize this issue, say what?