ONE of the most important steps in transforming a nation is through easy, wide and non-discriminatory access to education, more particularly by those seen as vulnerable or disadvantaged.
The power of education is no secret. Many in public life in Guyana today and many who have since passed on, started from very humble beginnings and through education they were able to transform their lives, the lives of their families, others around them, and in a few cases, the country as a whole.
Their experiences are similar to some of the greatest entrepreneurs and statesmen the world has known and by virtue of this, cement as a universal fact that education is a vehicle of positive change.

Former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, in the forward of the State of the World’s Children, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Report (1999), elaborating on this fact, pointed out that “Education is a human right with immense power to transform” contending that “On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable development.”
Here in Guyana, successive governments have recognised the value of education with each year and year allocating the biggest slice of the budgetary pie to this sector.
Thanks to the work of the current government, in its previous term in office, tremendous strides were made to increase access to education and lift the standard of education delivery at all levels of the education sector.

Now back in power after five years of uninspiring and undemocratic rule by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, the current administration led by President, Dr Irfaan Ali, in fulfilling a promise to the Guyanese people, has moved to make higher education free to those who are qualified and so interested.
Its gels with efforts that would be required by Guyana to acquire the relevant expertise as it prepares to experience development on a scale it has never witnessed before, fuelled largely by oil revenues.

The 20,000 scholarships initiative being rolled out by the Dr Irfaan Ali Administration through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) in every region of Guyana, without the need for ostentatious description, is a step in the right direction.
It brings hope to many who are qualified but cannot afford to foot the cost of higher education, as well as serve as a motivating factor or encouragement for others to qualify themselves at the tertiary level.

With regards to the former, young Delisha Budhu of the farming community of Black Bush Polder, Region Six, immediately comes to mind.
Many would recall, in an open letter to First Lady Arya Ali, the young lady articulately narrated the plights of young people in her community, which inter alia include lack of employment opportunities for youths as well as opportunities for them to professionally elevate themselves.
Today, through the intervention of the current administration, young Budhu and others in similar circumstances can now study at the tertiary level, from undergraduate to Ph.D for free.
It was heartening to see the First Lady personally reaching out to the young Berbician and the government committing to fixing Internet issues that might affect the delivery of the online scholarships during separate outreaches in Berbice and Linden on Monday.

This tells a story of a government that is attuned to and cares about the needs of the people and is committed to making a difference in the lives of all Guyanese.
Aside from fulling an elections promise, the scholarship programme is a progressive step in the sense that it positions Guyana on the path towards becoming a knowledge-based society, and given the grassroot approach by the government, it fits well with the mission of education.
This mission was beautifully elucidated by the visionary, eminent scientist and late President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, when he had said, “When learning is purposeful, creativity blossoms, when creativity blossoms, thinking emanates, when thinking emanates, knowledge is fully lit, when knowledge is lit, economy flourishes.”