With $1.8B allocated to advance the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship initiative, the Government is well on its way to achieving its five-year target this year, with 24 months to spare. Public Service Minister, Sonia Parag made this disclosure during her 2023 budget presentation in the House on Monday afternoon.
Minister Parag said that her ministry will surpass the 20,000-target this year, with possible increases leading up to 2025.
The minister noted that in 2022, 167 Region One residents got GOAL scholarships, with 558 in Region Two; 1,429 from Region Three; 3,090, from Region Four; 635, in Region Five; 894 from Region Six; 191 from Region Seven; 46, from Region Eight; 143 from Region Nine; and 527 from Region 10.
Minister Parag said that in addition to the GOAL scholarships, the government continues to invest heavily in the provision of Public Service Scholarships. She noted in 2022, some 420 public servants were actively completing their scholarships at various institutions including the University of Guyana and the Carnegie School of Home Economics. She added that 1,221 government employees will be continuing their studies beyond 2022.
She noted that her Ministry’s Training Department was “revamped” to meet the needs of the Public Service.
“As Guyana continues to prepare itself for the many opportunities that will come, it is important that we modernise and train our public servants to be as effective as possible,” she told the House.
The Minister noted also that the Monitoring and Evaluation System was reintroduced this year to aid all government ministries and agencies with budgeting and spending.
