PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali’s statement last week that his administration will cover the entire cost of a maximum of eight subjects in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) is a first in education in Guyana.
Both public school students and private school students will benefit from this move. Not only is it an economic lifeline to tens of thousands of families, it’s also a confirmation of what matters to this country, an expression of national priorities and a declaration of what the future holds.

For far too long, fees for exams have been an invisible obstacle, quietly deterring many talented students whose parents simply could not afford to pay for many subjects. By removing this, the government is ensuring that no child’s academic ability is denied because of their parents’ means.
To quote President Ali himself: “I will ensure that no child will be made to restrict the number of CSEC subjects which they sit, based on an assessment of their parents’ financial means. And this project does not end with CSEC; it will continue to CAPE students too, and they also will be recipients of this project.” This is not just a policy choice—it is an assurance of equality of treatment and of right.

“Its effect is accumulative if considered in terms of the record of the government, overall investments in education.”
The 2025 national budget alone offers a record $175 billion in education, from the “Because We Care” cash grant (now up to $50,000 for each child) to fee-exempt education at the University of Guyana and all state-owned technical and vocational institutions.
Over $36 billion was spent on building new buildings for schools, with billions in school feeding, textbooks and digital education. Special education was also an investment by the government, with new buildings for Exceptional Learners Centres and Guyana Digital School, so that every child, regardless of ability, shall enjoy first-class learning facilities.

These investments are also paying off. Students from Guyana are leading in the Caribbean for performance in CAPE and CSEC exams, with passing rates increasing.
Development of the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus and additional technical and vocational schools are additional signs of an equitable approach to education, preparing people to service an increasingly diversified, contemporary economy.