Over 100 Soesdyke residents register for GOAL scholarships
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, assists a resident of Soesdyke to register for a scholarship 
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, assists a resident of Soesdyke to register for a scholarship 

OVER 100 Soesdyke residents, on Friday, capitalised on the opportunity to pursue tertiary education through the Government’s 20,000 online scholarship programme.  Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, met the prospective scholars during an outreach at the Soesdyke Primary School.   The scholarships are organised jointly by the Ministries of Education and Public Service, offering 85 programmes through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) over the next five years.  Minister McCoy engaged the applicants and assisted them in registering for the programmes of their choice. In his address to the gathering, he said it was vital that they seize the opportunity to learn how to develop themselves and contribute to nation-building.
“Many countries across the world are without such opportunities, and here it is, in Guyana, we have chosen this path, to be able to use the scholarships to empower, educationally, our people, and socially because when you have upgraded qualifications and education, it works to your advantage.

“Even as empowering you as an individual, your social status in society, in your community, within your home, the admiration for the academic pursuits and achievements will grow,” Minister McCoy said.
The minister said the GOAL scholarships initiative fulfils a promise the PPP/C Government made while on the hustings in 2020. He said the idea was birthed during interactions with Guyanese while the party was in Opposition, and it is among its top priorities since taking office.
“Just a few months into Government, though we took over a bankrupt economy and system that was dilapidated, we were able to very quickly grasp an understanding of the situation, and we were able to use the resources, the little that was left, or the little resources that exist to fashion programmes that are key and are essential for our people and for the development of our society. And it meant that we had an understanding of what the priorities are,” he added.
Minister McCoy said that while the PPP/C Government is progressive, Guyanese were given few opportunities during the Coalition’s time in office, and their welfare was neglected.

“We had a ‘Because You Care’ cash grant for every child in the public school; it was $10,000 per child. When the Government of APNU+AFC came into power, they dismantled it; they took it away from our children.
“And so, the programme ceased to exist. But what did they do with our money? That accumulative 1.6 billion Guyana dollars, which went to the children of this country, by giving them a $10,000 per child cash grant? It went into dietary. They took that money and put it to eat food in Government,” he said.
However, the minister said, the PPP/C Government has made educating the people priority because it empowers the nation.
Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Amelia Kellman said her dream of becoming a forensic scientist is closer to becoming a reality with the Government’s scholarships.
“I literally jumped for joy when I saw there were programmes on forensic science… This is a very great path that Guyana is heading down. I hope that the youths, the young people and even down to the old folks take this opportunity and just go for it,” she said. (DPI)

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