President to GOAL scholars: ‘Guyana needs your skills, voice, and passion’

Describing the graduation of hundreds of master’s students as a “revolution in education”, President Dr Irfaan Ali affirmed that Guyana is building a country grounded in opportunity, equity, and human development.

He was at the time addressing a packed Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) graduation ceremony at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown on Monday.

“Your responsibility does not end here. In fact, it begins here. The future of Guyana does not rest on buildings, it rests in the minds, the hearts and the hands of people like you. And be assured, Guyana needs you; we need your skills, your voice [and] your passion.”

He challenged the graduands to turn their education into action, through service, responsible decision-making, and leadership in their homes, communities, and in the wider society.

“You having a higher level of education are supposed to be patrons of positivity… better decisions for your family, better financial decisions, better decisions for your community and your country.”

GOAL, or Guyana Online Academy of Learning, was launched in 2021 and was designed to break the cycle of inaccessibility to education, especially for those in rural areas, single parents, or full-time workers.

President Ali reminded the graduands that the programme was never just about handing out scholarships, but about reshaping access to education and the opening up of immense new possibilities.

Since its launch, more than 30,000 Guyanese have received GOAL scholarships, with over 70 per cent of them being women. The President called that a proud reflection of inclusion and empowerment.

As Guyana’s economy expands across oil and gas, infrastructure, health, education, tourism, and technology, President Ali said the demand for talent is only growing. The vision for Guyana, he stressed, requires real people to bring it to life.

The event, themed “Enhancing the Nation’s Human Capacity,” also featured remarks from Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, and guest speaker Professor Paul Marshall, Vice President of the University of East London.

The graduation marks five years since the GOAL initiative was launched, and the numbers show the scale of investment — G$12.5 billion so far, or about G$312,000 per student.

Beyond GOAL, the government has made access to the University of Guyana completely free — a move now benefitting more than 11,000 current and incoming students. (DPI)