THE Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, has affirmed the commitment of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) to continuously provide in-service training courses to enhance the knowledge and professional capacity of its personnel throughout their careers. This initiative is part of a broader effort to maintain high standards within the prison system.

In a recent statement, the GPS announced that 281 prison officers received training in the first half of 2024, with plans to train an additional 250 officers in the second half of the year. These officers completed 27 different courses, including Prison Management, Human Rights, and Supervisory Management. This training initiative is funded by a portion of the $6.5 billion allocated to the Prison Service for 2024, specifically earmarked for prison management training for over 400 personnel.

Further demonstrating its commitment to the professional development of its staff, the GPS revealed that 31 prison officers have been awarded scholarships through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) for 2024. These scholarships will enable officers to further their education in various fields, including National Security and Intelligence, Accounting and Finance, Public Relations, Occupational Safety and Health, and Human and Financial Resource Management.

The GOAL initiative, launched in 2021, is a key component of the government’s agenda to create an educated workforce. This year, $4 billion has been allocated to support 6,000 new students and 3,967 continuing students under the GOAL programme. In May, over 1,700 individuals graduated from various programmes offered through GOAL, reflecting the programme’s success and impact.

GOAL provides a wide range of academic and vocational programmes through partnerships with several international universities. These programmes include Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor’s, Post-Graduate, Master’s, and Doctorate levels, with the primary objective of delivering 20,000 scholarships by 2025. Impressively, the programme has already surpassed this goal, as announced during the recent graduation ceremony.

The GPS’s ongoing training and the GOAL scholarship initiative highlight the government’s commitment to improving the education and professional capabilities of prison officers. These efforts not only aim to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the prison system but also contribute to the broader goal of creating a more skilled and educated workforce in Guyana.