NO expense will be spared by the government in ensuring that Guyanese children receive a world-class education, one that makes them competitive anywhere in the world, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo has said.
He made those remarks during a press conference on Thursday at the party’s headquarters, Freedom House.
The General Secretary said: “We have to find a model, because we will put all the money necessary into education to ensure that when we prepare someone in Guyana; our children, they must be able to compete anywhere in the world, the best education in the world. And we can afford it; and we will invest in it, but that may dictate a rethinking of the current school model.”
He then highlighted the investments that the government is already making in the education sector, more particularly the increase in the sector’s budget.
“…We also have to ensure that the model that we are investing in is yielding the best result for everyone, our children, especially,” the General Secretary stated while emphasising that this is a huge focus for the government.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali recently stated that in pursuit of the highest standards of education, the Government of Guyana is making continuous investments to integrate sectors, build out infrastructure, and strengthen collaborations
“Many times when you graduate to free university education, most times the capital investment comes down… We are giving free education, at the maximum standard, we’re going to invest in the highest standards, the maximum standard, so we’re not cutting costs or cutting corners to deliver that free education,” President Ali told a gathering at the commissioning ceremony for the new US$4.5 million College of Medical Sciences building at the University of Guyana (UG)’s Turkeyen Campus
The Head of State said that the government’s vision is not one that is centralised, but one that will see the deployment of services such as education and healthcare to every single region across the country.
To this end, the President pointed to projects that are already in the pipeline, including plans to convert the New Amsterdam Hospital into a teaching facility with the capacity to facilitate 200 students; expand the Charles Rosa School of Nursing, and engage partners like Mount Sinai to collaborate on research and education platforms to offer specialised programmes to Guyanese.“This is what an integrated education and world-class education and healthcare system must look like, and we’re making those investments out…,” President Ali said.
The government, he related, has already begun outlining its health programme for the next five years, focusing on significant, stimulated investments for students.
“We know the world is advancing at a tremendous pace, and we will also have to have ‘labs’ that allow our students to learn robotics, AI, using robotic arms to do surgery, otherwise, you will not be able to function in the new healthcare system that the world is adopting,” the Head of State said.
This, he said, will be an important priority, as the government now looks to partner with incubators at Silicon Valley.
