A phased approach to free university education in 2024 – President Ali announces

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has disclosed the government’s intention to implement a phased approach to implementing free education at the University of Guyana (UG) in 2024.

This move marks the first step towards realising the PPP/C government’s manifesto commitment of providing free tertiary education to Guyanese by the year 2025.

The president made this announcement during a live broadcast- ‘A conversation with the president’ on Sunday.

“As you know the persons who are already on the register who are paying loans… I think that that segment of the student population will have to be addressed first,” he explained.

This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to making higher education more accessible for Guyanese.

Meanwhile, through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme, thousands of Guyanese have been granted access to scholarships for pursuing higher education at esteemed academic institutions, ranging from certificate-level programmes to PhDs.

President Ali said that more than 20,000 scholarships were distributed through the programme.

Initially, the programme catered for 20,000 scholarships, however due to the overwhelming response, the government reassessed the programme accordingly. Additionally, to prepare Guyanese youth for careers in the oil and gas and hospitality sectors, the government is investing in an Oil and Gas Training College and the Hospitality Institute in Port Mourant, Region Six.