Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand on Thursday distributed over 700 school vouchers valued $1,500 each to Region Three students after a similar exercise had been conducted previously in Linden.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release Manickchand met parents and children at the West Demerara Secondary School and later at the Leonora Primary School, West Coast Demerara where about 10% of needy children from each school received assistance.

GINA said the head teachers from each school had recommended a number of children for the assistance. It said too over 30,000 children countrywide are expected to benefit from this year’s Uniform Voucher Assistance Programme which started on Monday last. Manickchand said this falls under the government’s programme to assist vulnerable groups particularly women, children and disabled persons. She said too government has recognized that some parents, for various reasons are unable to provide the necessities to send their children to school and these vouchers are intended to help them educate their children.

The minister said too $55M was allocated to the programme in this year’s National Budget. All children in the riverain and hinterland areas will receive uniform vouchers. The vouchers can be exchanged at selected stores in the various regions for school uniforms or school supplies.

According to GINA the programme started in 2001 where over $300M was expended to assist children living in difficult circumstances with school uniforms. It was started after parents had complained to President Bharrat Jagdeo, during several outreach exercises conducted countrywide, that they could not afford to send their children to school.

The release said the programme complements a similar outreach exercise conducted by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to ensure that all children who live in difficult circumstances are given assistance.