Jagdeo reaffirms commitment to free tertiary education through structured plan

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, reiterated the government’s commitment to providing free tertiary education through a well-structured plan.

He made the pronouncement during his weekly news conference at Freedom House in Georgetown on Thursday while responding to questions fielded by members of the media fraternity.

Dr Jagdeo emphasised the shift of financial responsibility from students to the Treasury, outlining the significant costs involved.

Additionally, he contrasted the current administration’s approach with the APNU+AFC, highlighting the fee increase during their tenure and the unfulfilled promise of free tertiary education.

“They promise to do it in a couple of weeks when they got into office…(instead) they increased the fees by 35 per cent at UG. We said in five years we’ll do this and that’s why we believe we have the capability. We plan everything,” he underscored.

The government aims to achieve free tertiary education by 2025, with the first phase benefiting over 13,000 Guyanese students. This initiative began implementation in 2024, with approximately $11 billion in student loans to be disregarded.

However, Dr Jagdeo expressed concerns about potential cost escalation during the transition and emphasised the importance of quality education that is aligned with the country’s needs.

He suggested a strategic approach to tertiary education, including sourcing technical training programs from other institutions instead of immediately establishing new programmes at the University of Guyana.

Ultimately, the administration is dedicated to adequately financing the university and enhancing its role in delivering quality tertiary education to all students in Guyana.

“UG will always have a critical role to deliver tertiary education, a prime role in our country. This is our university and we should keep it as such and we need to fund it well and improve it,” Dr Jagdeo asserted, stressing the importance of providing quality education that meets the country’s needs and helps students secure valuable employment after graduation.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali last year, said the government would deliver on its promise to make university education free and will undertake a phased approach from 2024, to achieve this.