In keeping with his party’s manifesto promise, President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is working to provide free education at the University of Guyana (UG) by the end of 2024.
The Head of State was at the time delivering a virtual address at Guyana’s 50th Republic Awards Ceremony and Cultural Presentation organised by the Guyana Consulate in Canada on Sunday evening. President Ali told the audience that his Government is working on creating a 21st century education system in Guyana.
“We are providing 20,000 scholarships. We hope to provide free education at the University of Guyana by the end of 2024. In our Emergency Budget for 2020, we made provisions for doubling the uniform allowance and increasing by 50 per cent the cash grant per student, from $10,000 to $15,000. We are committed to increasing this by almost 300 per cent in the coming years,” he stated.
Despite the difficulties faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the President has prioritised education since entering office in August.
Last week, he told residents of the mountainous community of Kato in Region Eight (Potaro–Siparuni) that they will soon receive an information communication technology (ICT) hub in their community, which will provide internet access.
The President, who had also announced the re-introduction of the One Laptop Per Family Initiative from 2021 during that visit, again mentioned this on Sunday evening as he underscored his Government’s hope of providing all Guyanese students with the necessary tools to prepare them for a competitive future.
President Ali said the next decade in Guyana would be transformational in all aspects of development, and that all Guyanese would benefit. He told the diaspora audience about the improvements earmarked in health care, infrastructure and agriculture, among other areas.
“This is just a snapshot of the plans which are unfolding in our country. We are accelerating the pace at which we do things because we recognise that we need to ensure that the present generation benefits from development,” the Head of State noted.
Back in October, during an interview with senior journalist Gordon Moseley, President Ali had assured that his administration would keep its manifesto promise of delivering free university education to students during this present term in office.
“It will be a reality. Within the five years, you will see free university education,” the President had said when questioned about this.
However, at the time he strayed from giving a specific timeline, only saying, “You will get it within the five years.”
In addition to free university education, the Ali-led Government is working to roll out its 20,000 scholarships initiative in the new year.
