–says PPP/C gov’t making massive investments to benefit Guyanese

JEFF Maggioncalda, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of global online course provider, Coursera Inc., has praised the Dr. Irfaan Ali led-administration for making massive investments to better the lives of all Guyanese.

During the official launch of the Guyana Coursera Platform, on Friday, at the National Stadium, the CEO said he observed Guyana’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the strides made to ensure an educated population remain intact. Fast forward to 2024, he expressed much excitement to see where Guyana and Coursera are headed.

“It’s exciting for me to be here in Guyana, a country undergoing an incredible economic transformation under the energetic leadership of President Irfaan Ali. His administration is making a pivotal investment to ensure that the nation’s prosperity is shared by all of its citizens.

“This will be the kind of transformative effort that few countries in the world have ever experienced where education and skill development are not just priorities, but the very foundation of the nation’s future.”

He stated that, through their partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning and the Ministry of Education here, Guyana has set a record among all of the countries on Coursera.

“We saw 15,000 enrolments from Guyanese learners, almost two per cent of the entire population of the country in the first 10 days. Over 46,000, Guyanese citizens have learned new skills through the programme, earning over 50,000 certificates in job-related fields including business, technology, and data science,” he stated.

The CEO emphasised that the relationship between Guyana and Coursera, which sprung in 2020, served as “an early testament to the country’s innovative leadership and profound appetite of the citizens of Guyana to learn new skills despite challenges.”

With every Guyanese now being given the opportunity to gain access to first-class education, Maggioncalda said he has no doubt that the nation’s palate for education will result in economic growth that only a few countries have ever experienced.

“I will say I was there at the beginning when the real transformation started taking shape,” the CEO said as he underscored that this kind of transformation is going to be fuelled by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government’s growing investments in infrastructure, health, transportation, and especially human capital.

“We are here today because President Ali [and] Guyana [are] implementing reforms designed to diversify and transform the country’s economy and boost workforce productivity,” Maggioncalda remarked.

Shifting his attention to how the world is undergoing a massive digital transformation, he said that with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it has resulted in the reshaping of jobs and skill requirements.

“This change is bringing opportunities and threats and the difference between change being an opportunity and threat is the level of access to education [and] that is being delivered by this government to the citizens of this country,” the CEO said.