THE Government of Guyana’s Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme stands as one of the most remarkable educational success stories in the Caribbean, yet the Alliance for Change (AFC) continues its misguided campaign to undermine this transformative initiative through baseless criticisms.

Since its launch in 2021, GOAL has provided a record 39,000 fullly-funded scholarships to Guyanese nationals, almost double the government’s initial target of 20,000 scholarships by 2025.

This in itself should stifle detractors, but the effects of the programme go far deeper than just statistics, marking a sea of changes in the way Guyana thinks about educational access and national progress.

The programme demographics tell a powerful narrative of empowerment and inclusion. With 21,436 scholarships to women compared to 8,322 to men through 2024, GOAL has been a powerful instrument for gender equality in education.

As Education Minister Priya Manickchand rightly said, most of these women are mothers learning at home with their children, whereas men can advance their qualifications without leaving their places of employment to sustain their families.

This freedom shows the programme’s grasp of actual-day limitations experienced by working Guyanese families.

The geographical distribution throughout all ten administrative regions, ranging from Region One’s 814 to Region Four’s incredible 13,002 (2024 figures), ensures hinterland and rural villages are not disadvantaged in Guyana’s education revolution.

Notably, GOAL’s GROW programme has provided 6,914 persons with a second chance after not completing secondary education, with 80 per cent of graduates of the GED, BFP, and SCQF programmes being able to matriculate into universities successfully.

This is actual social mobility and opportunity creation that the AFC’s political rhetoric ignores. The programme is giving a mind-boggling array of certificates, undergraduate, master’s and PhDs and vocationals under collaborations with established foreign institutions, bridging the skill gap in Guyana’s burgeoning economy.

GOAL’s success is part of a total educational overhaul by the current government.

The granting of free tuition at the University of Guyana in 2025, backed by a $13.1 billion budget allocation, will benefit over 11,000 students.

Additionally, the government has already cancelled $203.7 million in student loans to 346 University of G uyana graduates, with a step being taken to cancel $11 billion in loans for over 12,000 Guyanese.

These investments are historic levels of commitment towards providing higher education to all.

In place of baseless denunciation, the critics should appreciate the remarkable efforts being taken by GOAL towards democratising learning, and preparing Guyanese for participation in the country’s economic boom.

The programme’s success is a testament to itself thousands of graduates entering the job market with enhanced skills, and a country better suited to sustain its projected 36 per cent economic growth. Political point-scoring has no place when genuine change is being made.