A heated debate unfolded yesterday in Parliament as Opposition Members of Parliament Gordon Barker from the WIN party and Coretta McDonald of the APNU confronted Education Minister Sonia Parag regarding budgetary allocations for the Education Ministry and the overall state of the education sector.
MP Barker raised concerns about the government’s school feeding program, questioning the quality of meals provided to students. He suggested that the funds allocated for the program should instead go directly to parents to help them prepare better meals for their children.
He also criticized the Education Ministry for failing to address the longstanding issue of teacher promotions, stating, “No education system can rise above the quality, morale, and stability of its teachers. Yet, when we examine allocations related to the Teaching Service Commission and teacher management, we observe a glaring silence on several critical issues, including the backlog in promotions that hinders pension and gratuity payments to teachers upon retirement.”
Coretta McDonald, who is also the President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, echoed these concerns. She noted that while the government’s overall budget has increased, the education sector’s budget has only risen by 2%, indicating that education is not being prioritized as promised. “These numbers demonstrate that while education spending has increased in absolute terms, it has failed to keep pace with the national budget. The result is that education is not being prioritized despite repeated claims to the contrary,” McDonald asserted.
In her defense, Education Minister Sonia Parag highlighted the government’s strategic investment in the education sector. “We have a five-year plan, and every single year we invest money in that space to ensure we deliver on our policies and programs. Priority has always been placed on education by the People’s Progressive Party Civic government,” she stated.
McDonald further questioned the infrastructure improvements in schools, highlighting issues at newly built or renovated facilities. She reported that students are consuming stale food and pointed out critical infrastructural challenges, such as leaks at the Brickdam Secondary School and lack of basic utilities like running water and electricity in several schools.
In response to these allegations, the Education Minister acknowledged existing infrastructural problems but assured that mechanisms are in place to address them. “We have schools with infrastructure problems, and I am not here to deny that we have issues. However, once an issue is reported to us, we will go and fix it. Just as our homes may face problems, so do schools housing hundreds of children, but we are committed to resolving these issues,” Parag said.
Additionally, the Minister announced that the Teaching Service Commission will soon address some 1,500 vacancies in the system, ensuring that eligible teachers will receive their promotions.
The debate highlighted ongoing tensions regarding educational reforms and resource allocation in Guyana, with both opposition members and the Minister emphasizing their respective stances on the future of education in the country.
