Support for children with disabilities

- How MODEC’s funding makes a difference

Dozens of children with disabilities graduated from a Transition Education Programme facilitated by the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) in partnership with MODEC Guyana and the Ministry of Education.

This programme is an after-school initiative that assists learners across the four core subject areas: Mathematics, Science, English Language and Social Studies. Through this programme, children with disabilities get one-on-one support to supplement what they learn in the classroom.

Forty-one children from several schools benefitted from the Transition Education Programme. They hailed from: the David Rose Special Education Needs School, the New Amsterdam Special Education Needs School, Region Four’s Department of Education Special Education Needs Centre, the Ministry of Education’s Resource Unit for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Port Mourant Secondary Special Education Needs Unit.

In a December 2025 press release from MODEC, it was noted that $3.6 million would be invested in the 12-month pilot programme. At this week’s closing ceremony, MODEC Country Manager Rafael Fumis said this venture opens doors for further support fot children with disabilities.

“The goal of this programme was to improve academic outcomes for Children with Disabilities and help them prepare to transition into mainstream education or skills training,” Fumis said.

GCOPD Programme Manager, Ganesh Singh said the programme was conceptualised sometime ago but without financial support, the children wouldn’t have gotten the support they needed. He says now, the organisation hopes to expand this programme.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Dr. Keon Cheong said local authorities welcome such partnerships.

“Our learners have streghetns and they have abilitie. They have dreams. Some may require additional time, differentiated teching approaches technology or individual support but there is no reason to lower their expectations,” Dr. Cheong emphasised.

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