President Dr. Irfaan Ali has announced a 318% increase in trained teachers recruited across Guyana’s hinterland regions. Addressing indigenous leaders at the opening of the 2025 National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference, President Ali described the improvements as a massive transformation in education for indigenous communities. He then highlighted the government’s progress in teacher’s training and capacity building in Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine.
“When you look at new recruits, the percentage of increase in new recruits are trained and available teachers in the hinterland community is more than 318%, more than 318%,” he stated.
He noted that the total number of hinterland teachers to date stands at 2,435. Ali highlighted that most of that amount comes from indigenous villages and communities.
Further, the president also revealed that as of December 2024, 83% of all teachers in these regions were fully trained, up from less than 43% in 2020. Notably, he disclosed plans to increase the number of trained teachers in the hinterland regions to 100%.
“Today, when you look at education, it’s another big story, another big story of transformation and development,” Ali stated.
Framing the achievement as a shared success, the president praised the role of indigenous communities in driving change. He also reassured the indigenous leaders of government’s support especially for education. “We are happy that as a government, we are able to facilitate such a massive transformation, but at the end of the day, it is your accomplishment,” he said.
Moreover, President Ali pointed to investments in transportation for students, with nearly 100 transport facilities handed over directly to villages to improve school attendance and support transition to secondary education.
The NTC is being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) in Georgetown and brings together indigenous leaders from across the country to address critical issues facing their communities.
