–President Ali outlines vision for integrated learning leveraging technology, AI

LEVERAGING advanced technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to create a unified, accessible training environment for educators throughout the region, Guyana is proposing the establishment of an integrated platform to offer specialised training for teachers.

At the heart of this vision is the recently launched Guyana Digital School, which President Dr. Irfaan Ali described as a cornerstone for regional collaboration.

“How do we develop a regionally attractive programme …that is why the Guyana Digital School will be opened up for the region, so that the true integration of the region will be realised through the Guyana Digital School,” President Ali said while addressing a recent event.

The goal is to establish a dynamic digital environment that not only serves local needs but also attracts learners from across the Caribbean.

“Because students across every island in the region, every country in the region, will be studying on the same platform, sharing experiences on the same platform. That is the power of integration, and that is what technology enables,” the Head of State added.

He explained that instead of every small economy making the same investment, the region can pool resources and work with international partners to create a central hub for training educators.

“We’re invested in the Teachers Training College and University. We want to develop specialised degree programmes for teachers throughout the region… how about if we work with our international partners in making this the training ground for all our teachers regional and [in] doing so using technology as a backbone.”

This initiative is a key part of Guyana’s broader national development strategy, which prioritises innovation and timely implementation of strategic decisions.

“In the context of our national development, in the context of what is the end game, thinking without innovation and leading without an innovative mindset is just marking time. In the modern world, most successful industries, countries and corporations, are those that took bold steps, made strategic decisions [and] important decisions.”

The move also aims to address the growing demand for skilled teachers across the region, particularly as education systems strive to keep pace with evolving technological advancements.

In Guyana, over 4,000 teachers have been trained between 2020 and 2024, with even Caribbean nations expressing interest in the country’s teachers’ training programme.

“We have trained over the last four years, 4,378 teachers, and this is more than double what we trained between 2015 and 2020,” Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, had said back in January.

Since entering office in 2020, she noted that the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) was closed due to COVID pandemic, but there was no prospect of when it would reopen as since the college existed it had always been in-person.

While noting that there was no technology infused in that aspect of the education sector, she said that there would be a time when there would be no COVID and gatherings were going to be allowed again and as such there should be some training for teachers.

“So we got to find a way to train. Let’s take this college online,” she said in reflection on past challenges. However, before the platform was taken online, she added that the college was only able to admit or graduate at a given year some 535 teachers.

With the programme being online, at least two Caribbean countries have approached Guyana and asked how their teachers could benefit from the nation’s programme.

In Guyana’s 2025 Budget, a significant $175 billion is allocated to the education sector, with targeted investments in infrastructure, skills development, and free tertiary education, all aimed at realising the vision of providing accessible, world-class education to every citizen.