-overlooks APNU+AFC’s record of burdening students

WHILE conveniently overlooking the previous coalition’s legacy of piling costs on university students, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s presidential candidate, Aubrey Norton has criticised the current government for delivering free university education.

Norton in a video posted on his party’s Facebook page said: “When the government claims that they have delivered on free university education, we cannot believe it, because we know better. We know that it is the PPP government that took away free education at the university level. We know that it is the APNU over the years that would have pressured them to return free education to University of Guyana.”

However, Norton’s remarks omitted Guyana’s economic history and that, his party, the People’s National Congress (PNC) which is a part of the APNU, led the nation to economic collapse as was previously pointed out by critics.

As many have previously highlighted, free education was an economic casualty and Guyana’s economic downturn in the 70s and 90s led to its ending.

During one of the most crippling periods in the nation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposed a series of measures under former President Desmond Hoyte’s Economic Recovery Program (ERP) were aimed at stabilising the economy and reducing debt.

When the government changed in 1992, former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan- the very statesman who founded the University of Guyana (UG) in 1963- kept the IMF-imposed measures in place and by 1994, the removal of tuition-free education at UG became a necessity.

The APNU+ Alliance For Change (AFC) administration’s track record in the education sector is nothing for them to be proud of. From 2015 to 2020, the party backpedalled on its promise of free university tuition and increased education-related costs.

The coalition’s notorious decision to revoke the “Because We Care” cash grant, a vital support for schoolchildren, impacted the lives of thousands of families.

Under the current PPP/C administration, there have been concrete relief and policies to bolster the education sector. For instance, President Dr Irfaan Ali made the landmark announcement of free university education, during his budget presentation to the Twelfth Parliament on October 10 last year, fulfilling a key manifesto promise.

As a result, UG has seen a surge in applications for the 2025/2026 academic year.

Amidst these positive measures is also the Government of Guyana’s Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme, which stands as one of the most remarkable educational success stories in the Caribbean.

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

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

Public investments in the education sector soared from $53 billion in 2020 to $185 billion in 2025.