The PPP government has a knack for political theater. They know how to use bright lights, ribbon cuttings, and glossy speeches to convince citizens that failure is progress. And right now, with elections on the horizon, the People’s Progressive Party is working overtime to rehabilitate the reputation of Minister of Education Priya Manickchand. But Guyanese must not be fooled. No number of school openings, no parade of photo opportunities, and no carefully scripted spin can erase her record of neglect, mismanagement, and tragedy.
Let us begin where the evidence is undeniable. For years, Guyanese children have underperformed in core subjects such as mathematics and science. The recent NGSA results were hailed by the Ministry as a triumph, but behind the numbers lies manipulation. Instead of confronting the crisis and investing in real reform, the government opted to polish the statistics and sell them as progress. This is not leadership—it is deception.
At the same time, more than 300 schools across the country continue to deliver consistently poor results. These are not isolated institutions in far-flung corners. They are part of a broken system that leaves thousands of children behind each year. Parents in hinterland villages and working-class urban communities know this reality well. They have lived it.
And who among us has forgotten the horror of Madhia? Twenty children, locked inside a dormitory, perished in a fire that shook the conscience of this nation. That tragedy was not an act of fate. It was the outcome of years of negligence and indifference to the safety of our children. Yet, instead of accountability, we got silence. Instead of change, we got distraction. The families who lost their daughters are still searching for justice, while the Ministry of Education marches on as if nothing happened.
Dropouts Outnumber Graduates
The hard truth is that under Priya Manickchand’s watch, more Guyanese children drop out of school than graduate. This is the ultimate indictment of her stewardship. A country that claims to be on the rise is producing more failures than successes in its most important sector. Instead of building human capital, the system is draining hope from the very young people who should be leading our nation into the future.
But in politics, image is everything and the PPP has perfected the art of image-making. While the education sector crumbles, the Minister has become a fixture of ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Suddenly, in the months before elections, the government has discovered the urgency of building and opening schools.
Cameras flash, balloons fly, and speeches fill the air. But who among us is willing to ask the hard question: What was happening to community children before this sudden extravaganza of new school buildings? For years, classrooms were overcrowded, children sat without textbooks, and rural schools lacked even basic facilities. Why the urgency now, if not to secure votes?
Let us not forget her poor treatment of teachers. While she stands before the country taking credit for the performance of the top 1%, Guyanese teachers remain underpaid, betrayed by a union leader shamelessly co-opted by the PPP.
The PPP will not tell you that schools remain under-resourced, that teachers are stretched beyond capacity, and that parents still have to fundraise to buy chalk, markers, and classroom supplies. They will not admit that technology has not reached the majority of classrooms, or that too many children are still being taught in outdated ways that do not prepare them for the modern world. They will not say that, despite oil revenues and national wealth, too many families still cannot trust the system to educate their children properly.
This is the truth the PPP wants hidden behind glitter and glamour. The rehabilitation campaign for Priya Manickchand is not about education, it is about politics. It is about convincing the people of Guyana to forget her failures, to ignore the tragedies, and to reward her with another term of power. But we cannot and must not.
The future of our children is too important to be reduced to press conferences and staged photographs. We must demand accountability, real reform, and leadership that values substance over spin. The PPP has given us manipulation. Priya Manickchand has given us failure. It is time for Guyanese to demand better.
