MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickchand, has said that the first batch of 4,500 students, who are benefitting from the government’s 20,000 online scholarships programme, will commence their courses in July. The Minister made this announcement on Thursday, during the commissioning of the country’s eighth smart classroom at President’s College.
“Beginning July, we will start training, not in Guyanese universities, but in universities from India, Europe and the West Indies – more than 4,500 students in a range of fields. It’s going to be PhDs. We’ve moved from certificates to degrees to master degrees to PhDs for you,” she said. Minister Manickchand encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities being presented. She also noted that the ministry does not play a role in the acceptance process, as each university has its own requirements. “You have to be eligible…You have to write your CXC, pass them and then you have all these opportunities opened up for you,” she explained. Guyanese can choose from over 80 programmes to study at five international universities, through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning.  The institutions are the University of the West Indies Open Campus; the University of the Southern Caribbean; the University of Applied Sciences; the Indira Gandhi National Open University and the JAIN University. The initiative is in keeping with the government’s promise to grant 20,000 online scholarships over the next five years. (DPI)