MINISTER of Education, Sonia Parag, says students from Region Two who aspire to pursue engineering will soon be able to do so right in the Pomeroon-Supenaam district.

On Wednesday last, Minister Parag, along with Presidential Adviser on Education Dr Kofi Dalrymple, visited Region Two and conducted a site visit to the Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI). The visit was done to examine and identify suitable spaces for both classroom instruction and the practical components of the University of Guyana’s (UG) engineering curriculum.

According to Minister Parag, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with UG, is rolling out this initiative to expand access to higher education, particularly for students who were unable to gain admission to the main campus due to space constraints. This move fulfils a commitment made by President Irfaan Ali, who recognised the significant increase in applications since UG made tuition free.

As part of his directive, both engineering and medical programmes are being decentralised, with the rollout beginning in Regions Two, Three, and Five, where demand is especially high.

Some classes will run simultaneously with UG’s main campus, while others will be managed by lecturers based in Region Two. Notably, ETI already has physics and chemistry laboratories, which Minister Parag and Dr Dalrymple deemed well suited to accommodate the programme.

Minister Parag expressed optimism that the first set of classes can commence by mid-October, marking a major milestone in bringing higher education opportunities closer to students in Region Two.

Chairman of the ETI board, Toolsie Narine, said that the move is a positive one that will provide Region Two youths with the most valuable opportunity. Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva said that the ETI is the most suited facility for such a programme. She said that the region is vastly transforming and, as such, educating the youths in various fields is the right direction.