$183.6B Budget, Yet Children Start School without Desks and Classrooms

Guyana has opened a new school year with a stark contradiction. While the Government has allocated $183.6 billion to education in 2026 and continues to tout major investments in schools, children in several hinterland communities are reportedly entering classrooms without classrooms, desks, chairs and, in one case, even adequate shelter from the rain.

Leader of the Opposition Azruddin Mohamed has brought the conditions to national attention, posting photographs and accounts from schools in Port Kaituma, Manawarin, North West and Santa Rosa as the new academic year began on Monday.

At Port Kaituma Secondary School, Mohamed said approximately 200 students entering Grade 7 have no classroom or furniture. Instead, they are reportedly being told they will be temporarily accommodated at the recreational ground at the Fitzburg ball field while work on a new building is completed and furniture becomes available.