In keeping with the Government of Guyana’s commitment to improve the country’s educational and skills training capacity to keep pace with the expected economic development resulting from the burgeoning oil and gas sector, approval has been granted for the issuance of over 7,000 scholarships.
A release yesterday from the Ministry of Finance informed of an announcement by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, that approval has been granted for 7,782 Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) Scholarships and that the successful applicants will be informed by email over the coming week.
This approval, it noted, follows on the heels of the graduation just two weeks ago, of the second batch of students numbering 1,712, who have completed their studies in various disciplines including master’s and bachelor’s degree programmes. The GOAL initiative, it explained, is in keeping with Government’s commitment to improve the country’s educational and skills training capacity to match its aggressive economic diversification programme and continued rapid economic growth. It noted that the government has already exceeded its goal of providing 20,000 online scholarships, with almost 21,500 scholarships issued by the end of 2023.
The GOAL programme was embarked on by the administration to develop and take online learning to a new level. According to the release, the success of the programme indicates that it has been well received by the thousands of Guyanese who have benefitted and who continue to apply for scholarships to improve their educational capacity. At the recent GOAL graduation ceremony at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the second batch of graduates from the various regions of Guyana, including the hinterland and remote regions, celebrated their achievements.
Dr. Singh said, “What GOAL does is that it still gives them [Guyanese] the option to pursue higher technical and tertiary education… using the online modality of delivery. It also offers a wider range of training options.” He added that the government is creating an environment where everyone can explore several opportunities that are being created so that the country can continue its rapid development.
The Minister added that the GOAL scholarships are all elements of human capital development and improving the skills of the Guyanese workforce and population, to have a better skilled and qualified labour force as well as to have a more fulfilled population.
As part of its nation-wide investment in education, the government has been implementing a number of additional initiatives including the launching of the Guyana-Coursera Platform initiative which will see approximately 50,000 persons benefitting from training in a number of areas across various ministries countrywide.
The release pointed out that included in government’s multi-pronged approach in its education investment initiative is the disbursement of cash and uniform grants to school children each year, with the 2024 grant to be disbursed shortly to students; as well as cash grants to teachers each term to purchase classroom supplies; and the construction of new schools as well as the rehabilitation of several others across the country. Additionally, it recently commenced its Student Loan Write-Off Programme to potentially benefit over 13,000 Guyanese who collectively have some $11billion in student loan debt. The administration has also reiterated its commitment to improving education delivery with a total of $135.2 billion budgeted this year for the education sector, the release added.
