Dear Editor,
Your article “Questions rise over third-party provider in GOAL programme” (March 16, 2025) vindicates Guyanese’s concerns and fears about the credibility and integrity of the Government’s Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme. Launched in 2021, this programme has already cost the country billions and provided degrees to thousands of Guyanese who may find them marginally useful inside and outside of Guyana.
Your report suggests that Dr. Jacob Opadeyi, whose tenure as Vice Chancellor ended years ago, exercises substantial control over the programme, beyond and above the Ministry of Education, the University of Guyana and the national laws on procurement. But even that exclusivity – and Opadeyi’s relationship with the Office of the President – does not make his attitude toward legitimate scrutiny any more acceptable. His response to Stabroek News – telling the country’s most trusted newspaper to “do its research” – is arrogant and indicative of a deeper problem: a complete lack of transparency and accountability. If public funds are being spent on a major national initiative, those overseeing it – Guyanese or non-Guyanese – should welcome scrutiny, not deflect it.
Yet for all his brazenness, it is not Opadeyi who should be answering questions about the programme but Dr. Ashni Singh, who, as Minister responsible for public service, has direct oversight of GOAL which falls under the Office of the President, via the Ministry of Public Service.
My first concern is why President Ali considers it more appropriate for the programme to be administered by the Office of the President rather than the Ministry of Education, which has the expertise and institutional capacity to oversee higher education? There are other troubling questions:
1. Why is the government using ISDC – a foreign entity with a tangled web of related dormant companies – instead of partnering directly with accredited universities?
2. The UWI Open Campus is listed as a partner university of GOAL. What programmes does the Campus offer under the GOAL programme?
Another partner “university” describes itself as an independent higher education provider accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC). What is the nature of that so-called accreditation?
4. What is the actual value of GOAL certificates, given that recognised institutions like Liverpool and Staffordshire have publicly disassociated from the GOAL programme and ISDC?
5. Why is there such secrecy around how much of the $4 billion spent on GOAL has been paid to ISDC, particularly since it falls under the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance?
6. How is the GOAL programme structured and who make up its top management?
7. Has GOAL or the Ministry of the Public Service provided audited financial statements and where can these be found?
8. Has the agreement between GOAL and ISDC or any institution of higher learning been tabled in the National Assembly?
9. If not, where can that Agree-ment(s) be found?
10. Has Opadeyi been requested to provide annual reports on GOAL’s operation and finances, and where can that be found?
With the interests of current GOAL students as my paramount concern, I respectfully ask the President to take the following steps to protect both students and the integrity of education in Guyana.
● Pause the programme until a full, independent review is conducted.
● Release the full contract with ISDC and publish a detailed breakdown of all payments made.
● Have a forensic audit of the operations and finances of GOAL.
● Examine the feasibility of bringing GOAL under the University of Guyana.
Sincerely,
Christopher Ram
