Emphasising that Guyana’s growing economy will require an increasingly skilled workforce, Prime Minister (PM) Mark Phillips has highlighted the opportunities being provided through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), encouraging all citizens to take advantage of them. PM Mark Phillips on Tuesday morning delivering the feature address during the first session of the fourth graduation ceremony for GOAL at the National Cultural Centre. To demonstrate this point, the PM reflected on his own journey towards higher education. “I don’t say this lightly. Opportunities that were once beyond the reach of many included myself and many people of my age group. I remember writing the Common Entrance Examination, which is now called the Grade Six Assessment. When you passed with a certain score, you earned a free place at a secondary school. If you did not achieve that score, your parents had to pay for you to attend secondary school, or you remained and completed the upper level of primary school. Many of you sitting here cannot remember those days or have no memory of them,” he said.

Reflecting further on his educational journey, the PM posited that after he passed the Common Entrance Examination and earning a place at Kara Kara Secondary School in Linden, he benefited from the country’s free education policy. He explained that free education was available throughout the secondary level, eliminating the need for students to compete for free places after admission, as placement in a particular school was determined by the education system. He further noted that free education was later extended to the university level in Guyana. The PM reported that he started university at a time when higher education was free. However, after his fourth year, students were required to begin paying fees as part of the conditionalities associated with the Economic Recovery Programme. He noted that, over time, the country had progressed to its current position. The PM further told the graduating students that while working during the day, he attended the University of Guyana (UG) in the afternoons and completed a diploma in Public Administration. He then returned to work for approximately two years before being granted time off to pursue full-time university studies. Over the next three years, he completed his degree, which had by then become a programme in Public Management. “And you know why I’m telling you this? Because if we had GOAL when I was in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), I would have been able to work and complete my diploma and degree in my spare time, just as you are doing today. We have come a long way, and I’m using my example to help you recognise and appreciate where we are today. Contributing to GOAL’s reach and success is the Government’s ability to ensure that every community across the country is connected to the internet,” he said. “There is a saying that education and freedom are deeply intertwined. True learning liberates the mind by breaking the barriers of ignorance. We have connected every community and every community can now benefit from education, become empowered and break down the barriers of ignorance.”

Education at centre of national development