Education minister evalutates Essequibo TVET facilities for UG’s regional expansion

Minister of Education Sonia Parag and other officials visited the Essequibo Technical Institute in Region Two to assess the readiness of the Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) facilities to host future students enrolled at the University of Guyana (UG).

The facility is expected to provide accommodation for UG students from Regions Two and Three to attend classes without having to travel to the Turkeyen campus.

The site visit resulted from President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s efforts to decentralise some university courses, which also improves access to education.

Recently, President Ali promised to expand UG’s Faculty of Engineering to accommodate more applicants who want to study engineering but cannot be accepted at the Turkeyen Campus due to a lack of space.

Accompanying the minister were UG’s Dean and Advisor in the Ministry of Education with Responsibility for Tertiary Education Reform, Dr Kofi Dalrymple, and Deputy Chief Education Officer (DCEO) with responsibility for Technical Education, Dr Ritesh Tularam.

Minister Parag explained that the immediate goal is to have classrooms and labs ready by the second week in October to accommodate at least 40 students, noting that this will ensure inclusivity and access to higher education.

“We are here looking at the physical layout of the technical institute to see where we can have space to accommodate the application of students who have applied to the University of Guyana for engineering as well as the medical sciences”, the minister said.

Minister Parag added, “We are looking at Regions Two, Three, Six, and later Region Nine to be able to accommodate the spillovers”.  

The minister noted that the promise made by President Dr Irfaan Ali catered to all Guyanese seeking higher learning.

Meanwhile, Dr Dalrymple emphasised that the initiative focuses on equity and access. It ensures students in areas like Essequibo receive the same quality of education as students in Georgetown.

Both Minister Parag and Dr Dalrymple were pleased with the outcome of the visit, noting the institution’s ability to accommodate the number of students.

In January 2025, President Dr Ali announced that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) had fulfilled its 2020-2025 manifesto promise to abolish tuition fees at the university.