At a packed ceremony at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown on Monday, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali addressed the graduates, calling them “living proof” of “a revolution in education.”
He told the audience that the graduation wasn’t just a personal milestone, but a national one, a key step in building a country grounded in opportunity, equity, and human development.
“This is a revolution in education. And every one of you is living proof,” he said.
But the President was clear, the degrees and certificates are not the end of the road.
“Your responsibility does not end here. In fact, it begins here. The future of Guyana does not rest on buildings, it rests in the minds, the hearts and the hands of people like you. And be assured, Guyana needs you; we need your skills, your voice [and] your passion.”
He challenged the graduates to turn their education into action, through service, responsible decision-making, and leadership in their homes, communities, and in the wider society.
“You having a higher level of education are supposed to be patrons of positivity… better decisions for your family, better financial decisions, better decisions for your community and your country.”
GOAL or Guyana Online Academy of Learning was launched in 2021 and was designed to break the cycle of inaccessibility to education, especially for those in rural areas, single parents, or full-time workers.
President Ali reminded the graduates that the programme was never just about handing out scholarships, but about reshaping access to education and the opening up of immense new possibilities.
“We were not just thinking about certificates. We were thinking about doors, about access, about thousands of talented Guyanese who… had never been able to walk through the doors of higher learning.”
Since its launch, more than 30,000 Guyanese have received GOAL scholarships, with over 70 per cent of them being women. The President called that a proud reflection of inclusion and empowerment.
As Guyana’s economy expands, across oil and gas, infrastructure, health, education, tourism, and technology, President Ali said the demand for talent is only growing. The vision for Guyana, he stressed, requires real people to bring it to life.
“What our country looks like and what our society feels like… that vision will not build itself. It takes people. People like you.”
The event, themed “Enhancing the Nation’s Human Capacity,” also featured remarks from Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh, and guest speaker Professor Paul Marshall, Vice President of the University of East London.
The graduation marks five years since the GOAL initiative was launched, and the numbers show the scale of investment, G$12.5 billion so far, or about G$312,000 per student.
Beyond GOAL, the government has made access to the University of Guyana completely free, a move now benefitting more than 11,000 current and incoming students. (Department of Public Information)
