OPPOSITION Leader Aubrey Norton believes that “a large percentage” of Guyanese are “illiterate” and are therefore, incapable of adapting to a digital society.
At a recent public meeting at Bagotville, Norton criticised the government’s efforts to digitise the society, including the digital school, which is the brainchild of President, Dr. Irfaan Ali.
“But what he (President Ali) doesn’t know is if you have a population in which a large percentage is illiterate, how are you going to digitalise? How are they going to read the things?” Norton said.

Norton’s statements positioned digitalisation and literacy as mutually exclusive, rather than going hand-in-hand.
Norton had also said, if elected, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) will launch a national literacy programme and train citizens until Guyana has a “literate, functioning” society.

Based on World Bank data, over 90 per cent of Guyana’s adult population (which according to their categorisation are persons 15 years and over) is literate.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has been using digital technology to transform all industries with a forward-thinking strategy that is changing the way public-sector organisations operate and bringing the country’s technical culture up to par with the best in the world.

And with the nation standing on the brink of a digital revolution, and its youth poised to take the lead, Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo recently made the call to the youth to seize training opportunities in the new digital economy marking a turning point in the nation’s history.

As the government lays the groundwork for a modernised financial and technological landscape, this is not a proposal, but an invitation for Guyana’s youth to shape their nation’s future.
The Vice-President also presented a vision to take Guyana’s financial sector “out of the stone ages,” which is both ambitious and necessary.

The initiatives to digitise core systems—like airport management, e-ticketing, and AI-driven education—reflect a strong commitment to building a society where technology drives efficiency, accessibility, and innovation.

Furthermore, the ‘One Guyana Digital School’ initiative was officially launched earlier this year, demonstrating the government’s commitment to modernising the education system.
The programme, a unique and revolutionary concept of President Ali, aims to integrate digital technologies into classrooms across the country and the wider Caribbean region.
The ‘One Guyana Digital School’ is being implemented in partnership with the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL).

The platform is specifically designed for Grades 10 and 11 students, providing them with access to CSEC learning materials to support their studies.