PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo, strongly supports the idea of no tuition at the university, which will be effected if the Coalition Government is elected to a second term in office.

This he expressed to residents of Essequibo, during a community meeting on Wednesday, at the Aurora Secondary School. “In the future we are looking, David Granger and I are looking at the possibility of abolishing fees for the university, in a second term…to address that issue, of free access to education,” he posited. The prime minister noted that at the moment university students benefit from a loan from a revolving fund that is repayable in 15 years after the students find jobs. This fund should be converted to a grant in order for the new generation to benefit from oil and gas revenues.

He said that the government desires to produce an educated nation, since that is the core of democracy and the real means of giving power to the people, since a powerful citizen, is a learned citizen. “That is what democracy is all about, it is to enriched your mind, so you as new leaders can lead the country in a different way, can take the country, this country in the age of oil and gas and wealth and develop it in a way that we have ever dreamt and generations before us as ever dreamt,” he said.

In the interim, he said that government will continue to support the university’s revolving fund as this would enable the student to have peace of mind when studying, as they don’t have to be bothered with how their fees will be paid and the measures and strain their parents may be under, to provide same. This is opening avenues for students to be holders of not only degrees, but also achievers in their various fields of study. “You can become an achiever, another A, the triple effect of our government, is access to affordability, and achievement and so we want to deliver the country, to a nation of achievers, a nation that knows where to take the country, not by political power, but by the power of the mind, the power of the intellect,” he said.

He commended the residents for raising issues affecting the education of their children. Residents raised issues of electricity at schools, availability of internet services and the state of school buildings. He urged the local leaders not to view these issues as meager, but to prioritise on providing a conducive environment for learning for all students, from nursery to secondary.