The year was 2017. The VAT on private education had just been announced — prompting a natural public outcry.
I remember signing and sharing the popular petitions with my mother, urging neighbours to come onboard as signatories. Infamously dubbed “The Brain-Tax,” this measure charged parents a 14% tax per child to attend private learning institutions, placing a burden on working families who lacked confidence in the public school system — thereby widening educational inequality.
Thanks for reading Bamboo Fire! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
I am the eldest of three sons, in a household run by my mother and grandmother. At the time, I was 14 when I publicly warned the Coalition in a Kaieteur News article that the measure would cost them votes in the next election. I made personal reference to my younger sibling attending a private primary institution — having lost our dad just months prior.
Article by the author, published in Kaieteur News, circa 2017.
My warning, like many others from civil society and students, was initially ignored. According to figures reported by Demerara Waves, the government aimed to collect approximately GYD $350 million through this draconian tax before its repeal in 2018.
That same year, the then Government also floated the idea of capping the number of CSEC subjects a student could sit — with one commentator calling it the “Brain Cap.” Fortunately, public backlash forced its quiet withdrawal before it could be implemented.
Fast forward to the 2022 Budget Debate. In response to heckles about the Coalition’s heavy-handed tax policies, Former Minister Khemraj Ramjattan stood in Parliament and shouted:
“Aaaand it is not an overtaxation, but you cyant undertax people!”
That line summed up the entire APNU-AFC approach in government: Tax their parents, cap children’s dreams, and label it “Change” and “The Good Life.”
Now contrast that with President Ali’s recent decision to cover the full cost of up to eight CSEC subjects for all students — public or private.
What does that mean?
No more worries about high exam fees. The financial burden on students — whether in public or private schools — is virtually eliminated. Students can now take more subjects without cost being a barrier, fostering academic ambition and excellence. This move also helps close the gap in educational inequality.
The message is clear: “Your potential and ambitions are being invested in — and with that, so is your success.”
This is a game-changer. Young people must take full advantage of this opportunity.
When you place this bold investment alongside the “Brain Cap” and the 14% VAT on private education prior to 2020, two questions naturally emerge:
Who talks up Youth Empowerment and Upliftment? Who actually practises it?
Thanks for reading Bamboo Fire! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.
