MoA signed to admit over 900 Guyanese to Indian open university

GUYANA AND INDIA SIGNED a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) last weekend
enabling over 900 Guyanese to gain admission to the Indira Ghandi National Open University
(IGNOU) to pursue higher learning in a number of academic disciplines.
President Irfaan Ali created the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) from a swell of
requests he got from Guyanese during the campaign leading up to last year’s national and
regional polls. A GOAL official inked the MOA for Guyana.
Public Service Minister, Sonia Parag who spoke on behalf of the Guyana government at the
MOA ratification, lauded the initiative acknowledging the need for quality tertiary education for
Guyanese.
The Public Service minister said that the initial batch of 922 students from the 10 administrative
regions will pursue studies in 25 different programmes. This, Parag said, will open vistas for the
scholars.
“When you are educated, no one can take that away from you, it is perhaps the most valuable
asset that you will have in your lifetime.”
With Guyana on the cusp of major transformation, there is bourgeoning need for highly qualified
human resources in many areas currently. According to Parag, Guyana has been the beneficiary
of some 22 years of training from experts at the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation
(ITEC) Programme, where many locals were trained in various skills.
She said that the commitment by IGNOU demonstrates that this special relationship will
continue with the Asian giant.
Vice Chancellor of IGNOU, Professor Nageshwar Rao, in his feature address said that the
institution has been accorded A ++ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in
India. That body assesses and accredits higher education institutions. He pointed out that

interactions between the two agencies commenced 10 months ago, thus they are now being put in
a MOA.
The IGNOU Professor reassured learners that they “will gain a lot in terms of the knowledge,
requisite skills and exposure which is required for the particular programmes.”
He said IGNOU has a popular ‘go to’ global institution.
“Our prime consideration is support services to learners of Guyana, offline as well as online
learning,” Rao said.
Meanwhile, Professor Jacob Opadeyi who heads GOAL, said that the MOA was long-awaited,
admitting that he looks forward to the partnership and the support the students will enjoy.
The IGNOU was established in 1985 and is the world’s largest university with the largest
enrollment rate. It updates its curriculum regularly to keep up-to-date with the changing
dynamics of learning and has fulfilled its mandate of providing accessible, equitable, affordable
and quality education for students around the world.