THE government invested $81.9 billion in the first half of 2025 to advance its goal of delivering world-class education, representing nearly half of the $175 billion budgeted for the year.
Investments targeted school expansion, cash transfers, digital access, teachers’ training, and the rapid transformation of tertiary education.
MAJOR EXPANSION AND UPGRADING OF SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE
A total of $11.2 billion was invested to advance multiple school infrastructure projects. Four new nursery schools – Baitoon, La Bagatelle, Mibicuri and Rockstone – were completed, creating 280 new spaces, with Kako expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Primary school upgrades at Augsburg, Redcreek and 58 Miles are on track for completion, while the construction of secondary schools is advancing at Jawalla, Kopinang, Monkey Mountain, Nismes, Phillipai, Tabatinga and Waramuri.
Dormitory construction continued at Aurora, St. Ignatius, Waramadong and Kwakwani, with additional facilities set to begin at Matthew’s Ridge, Monkey Mountain and a female dorm at Kwakwani.
SCHOOL FEEDING AND CASH GRANTS BOOST ATTENDANCE
The government invested $3.5 billion of the $5.5 billion allocated for the school meals programme, extending breakfast to 49,841 pupils on the coast and hot meals to 37,829 students in the hinterland. Another 1,000 students from Regions One, Eight, Nine and 10 will be added in the second half of the year.
The Because We Care cash grant delivered over $11 billion to more than 203,000 students, supporting school attendance and preparedness to learn.
A total of $56.2 million was spent on books for nursery schools and textbooks for secondary schools. Nearly 50 new nursery titles were developed, with an additional 70 in progress.
Each primary school will receive 137 new book titles later this year, while secondary schools will increase their collections from 137 to 344 titles. A further $2 billion in school grants were disbursed for classroom materials.
Guyana recorded a historic improvement at the NGSA, with pass rates exceeding 50 per cent in all four core subjects for the first time.
A Mathematics Intervention Programme for secondary students continues, with all schools receiving geometry sets, calculators and past papers. Mathematics monitors were placed in 59 schools.
First-time internet access was installed at 28 nurseries, 44 primary, and 4 secondary schools, with an additional 50 to be connected later this year.
Under the Hinterland/Riverine Solar and Satellite Project, equipment was installed to enhance the Guyana Learning Channel in over 200 communities. Six new digital channels were launched, and 2,300 digital learning boxes were distributed to families across several regions.
The University of Guyana (UG) spent $6.5 billion in the first half of 2025, following the government’s move to make all study programmes tuition-free. Applications surged to 11,600, up from 8,902 last year.
More than $1.5 billion was written off for 2,000 students, bringing the total debt forgiven to $2.8 billion. UG also received universal institutional accreditation for the first time, and its new College of Medical Sciences earned programme-specific accreditation.
Through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), 9,741 scholarships were awarded this year, bringing the total number of scholarships to 39,499 and producing nearly 10,000 graduates since 2021. An additional 7,400 persons completed Coursera courses.
More than 4,000 teachers are enrolled at CPCE, with 1,400 receiving GOAL scholarships this year.
In TVET, the government launched its 2025–2035 national policy and spent $835 million on skills training. New practical instructional centres opened at Beterverwagting and Hopetown, offering Certificate Vocational Qualifications (CVQ) Level I programmes, while departments at St. Ignatius and Bartica benefitted over 1,800 students.
The Board of Industrial Training (BIT) trained 2,673 persons, with an additional 588 set for training later this year. In July, 33 students graduated from the Guyana Technical Training College. (DPI)