Deadline for Coursera registration extended

– Over 24,000 Guyanese already registered

On Friday September 4, 2020 the Ministry of Education publicly announced its collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning to provide free access to online courses to the general population offered by Ivy League other reputable universities through Coursera.

The objective is to provide the opportunity for Guyanese to improve their skills and competencies to enhance their performance and employability. This initiative will serve to help unemployed Guyanese and those who may need to transition to new occupations.

Following the September 4, 2020 launch, as of Wednesday September 9, 2020, 24, 498 Guyanese have registered on the platform and 161 persons have completed their courses or graduated. The initial deadline for registration was September 30, 2020.

The Minister of Education engaged the Commonwealth of Learning and explained that because of the prolonged election process and our country’s failure to take up the offer previously, Guyanese were not on equal footing with the rest of the Commonwealth and would therefore be disadvantaged.

Coupled with the tremendous response and interest, the Minister of Education sought an extension of the deadline which now stands at October 31, 2020.

Several Caribbean countries have benefited from this program and will have their citizens graduate on September 22, 2020. The Minister of Education has been invited to speak at that ceremony.

Guyanese that wish to register on the platform can visit the website: www.education.gov.gy/upskill

Our online launch video can be found on the Ministry of Education’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/LearningCh/videos/236067911180960/ where you will hear remarks from the Honourable Minister of Education Priya Manickchand and Dr Venkataraman Balaji, Vice President, Commonwealth of Learning.