By Tanacia Karim
Guyana Media and Communication Academy intern
Over 800 persons graduated on Tuesday from the Guyana Online Academy of Learning’s (GOAL) Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) and they are now eligible to enter the University of Guyana or the teachers training college.
The SQCF was offered through a collaboration between Jain University and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) through GOAL’s Get Ready for Opportunity to Work (GROW). This programme caters to individuals 18 years and older who were either unable to complete their secondary education or obtain four passes at CSEC including Mathematics and English.
According to the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, the programme was initially started as a way for students to gain access to one university. However over the course of the past two years many other universities have reached out and of the 1,450 students who graduated this year and last year, 88 per cent of them have entered a university.
“We have been feverishly working with the University of Guyana, we have been working with the Cyril Potter College of Education, and are very pleased to report that the University of Guyana will be accepting the SCQF as eligibility to enter the University of Guyana. The Cyril Potter College of Education will be accepting the SCQF as eligibility to enter the Cyril Potter College of education”, she said.
Manickchand assured the graduates that this was not the end of their journey and that the government would sponsor their university education and would be there to “hold their hand through every step of the way.”
President Irfaan Ali in his address said that the government’s vision is to unify Guyana and to give every Guyanese the best prospect in life regardless of their social, educational, or political status. He reiterated the social contract the government had made with the public to provide 20,000 free scholarships to citizens and announced that they have currently been able to distribute around 15,000 scholarships, with 11,000 scholarships going to females. He encouraged persons to sign up for the GROW initiative especially those interested in teaching, caregiving, and hospitality, before going on to highlight the growing need for skilled workers in those fields by stating, “We have a massive hospitality and service oriented sector that will require your skill. Supervision, events planning, managerial, all the levels of skill would be required”, he said.
The ceremony also heard presentations from Candaice Smith who was the valedictorian for the year 2020/2021 and Africa Mcpherson, who was the top graduate for the year 2022/2023. Both women touched on their difficulties pursuing the programme while juggling work and other personal engagements. They thanked God and their family who acted as huge support systems during their journey as well as the Ministry of Education and GOAL for providing them with the opportunity to advance their learning.
A few graduates shared their experiences with Stabroek News on the programme. Anesha Stephen, who completed the SCQF programme in 2022 and is now pursuing her bachelors in business in human resource management said that GROW helped her branch out by allowing her to study business even though she is currently in the science field. While she did have some difficulties managing her time her classes were enjoyable and she is grateful for the programme.
Cehanell Semple, a 25-year-old who recently completed the SCQF programme, shared her sentiments. “This programme is like a second chance and a stepping stone into the world of work”, she said. Semple acknowledged that while she did encounter occasional language barriers she enjoyed the course and looked forward to applying the knowledge she acquired as a teacher in the near future.
The programme was also very helpful for entrepreneurs as evidenced by Sudarshani Ramsingh, a 23-year-old business owner who studied business management. She said the programme helped her deepen her understanding of the managerial aspect of her business and recommends that more people sign up as long as they are prepared to work hard.
As pointed out by the president in his remarks, GROW has no age limit and as such the programme had a number of older participants such as Natasha Nandalall who is 45 years old. She said that she heard about the programme through media and friends and decided to pursue it because she wanted to be a role model for her children and pursue higher education. She has already applied for a bachelor’s degree and noted that while finding time for the programme can be difficult she does not regret it because it afforded her the opportunity to learn more about Guyana’s history and current events. She also recommends the programme but advises students to avoid procrastination.
A statement from the Ministry of Education said that the SCQF diploma is a comprehensive preparatory programme with seven courses: Communications, Business, Mathematics with Excel, Behavioural Management, Marketing, Introductory Economics, and International Relations.
Persons interested in finding out more about GROW can check out the Guyana Academy of Online Learning at www.goal.edu.gy.
