ASIDE from establishing the Coursera partnership for free Online learning, the Guyana Government, from August 2, 2020 to present, has awarded a total of 446 scholarships to Guyanese learners. This was confirmed on Thursday by Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, as she responded to written questions posed by Tabitha Sarabo-Halley in the National Assembly.
The minister said that 26 of the overseas scholarships awarded were accessed Online.
“It must be noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most scholarships awarded are of an Online nature,” Minister Parag noted.
By way of providing a geographic breakdown of how the scholarships were distributed, Parag submitted to the National Assembly a spreadsheet indicating that 14 were awarded to learners in Region One (Barima-Waini); 21 in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); 51 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); 226 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); 23 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); and 42 in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). A total of seven scholarships were awarded to persons in Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), respectively. Ten learners in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 45 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) also benefitted from scholarships.
Opposition Member of Parliament Sarabo-Halley also requested a demographic spread of all the local and overseas scholarships that have been approved since the People’s Progressive Party Civic assumed office in August 2020.

Parag, in her spreadsheet, indicated that a total of 39 persons have benefitted from scholarships at overseas institutions, with 24 being female and 15 being males. The gender breakdown for scholarships to local institutions shows 230 female recipients, as against 177 males.
According to the Public Service Ministry, the local scholarships which were granted facilitated studies in areas such as Accountancy, Agricultural Science, Applied and Exploration Geology, Biology, Business Management, Chemistry, and Civil Engineering, with Environmental Engineering, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Dental Surgery, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Education, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Health, Environmental Management, Environmental Studies, Finance, Food Science and Nutrition, Forestry and General Psychology, etc. International studies were awarded in areas such as Cardiovascular Surgery, Ophthalmology, Climate Change, Management and Education, Children, Youth and International

Development, Chemical Process, Labour and Employment Relations, Environmental Engineering, Water Management, Environmental Engineering and Project Management, Bio-Chemistry, Finance, Law, Maritime Affairs, Meteorology, Tourism, Public Procurement Law and Strategy, Nephrology, and Oil-and- Gas Engineering among other disciplines.
The international scholarships were granted to countries such as Russia, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, India, and Spain, along with a few sister countries within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Many of the overseas scholarships were granted as study leave with pay, while some were donor-funded. The most expensive of the international scholarships was for studies in the area of Water Management in the Netherlands, in the sum of $10,403,613. On the other hand, the most expensive of the local scholarships was in the area of Public Health, at a cost of $1,427,800.