Min. Rodrigues takes GOAL to Kitty, Campbellville

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Hon. Susan Rodrigues on Monday, launched the Government’s 20, 000 online scholarships programme in the Kitty and Campbellville communities, Georgetown.

Minister Rodrigues told residents the programme provides an opportunity for them to empower themselves, secure better jobs and contribute to nation-building.

“You will become empowered and with empowerment and that knowledge and qualification that you have, it is our hope that you can contribute to our national development, that you can contribute towards the development of our country, and that we can provide employment for you.”

Speaking at the launch at the St. Winefride’s Secondary School, Newtown, Kitty, Minister Rodrigues said the programme is realisation of one of the many commitments the PPP/C made while campaigning in the lead-up to the March 202 elections.

“It is our contract with the Guyanese people. It is what we went to the elections with and it is what we presented to the Guyanese people, and what elected us to office. We have been doing everything to ensure that we go through the document, to ensure we deliver every promise,” she said.

Minister Rodrigues said the PPP/C understands the importance of education and the impact it has on the Guyanese population. To this end, she said the Government has allocated billions of dollars to develop programmes and policies that will aid in the delivery of quality education to the country’s most valuable resource.

The programme is being rolled out through a partnership between the Ministries of Education and Public Service and administered by the Guyana Online Academy of Learning. Persons will be able to earn a Bachelor’s degree, a post-graduate diploma, a Master’s degree or a PhD through the programme.

The Minister said the scholarships programme caters for all citizens, regardless of their background or location.

“This scholarships programme, like all of the Government’s projects, programmes and policies, we ensure that once it is drafted, that it is inherently unbiased, meaning that every Guyanese regardless of your race, religion or political affiliation.

Regardless of whether you live in Region One, Ten or Four or in the hinterland, each and every single Guyanese will benefit equally.”

Persons were also given the opportunity to seek clarifications on the scholarships.

Minister Rodrigues explained that students will only be required to give community service for no more than three months, depending on the programme of study.

Five universities are offering 85 programmes through GOAL. These are the University of the West Indies Open Campus; the University of the Southern Caribbean, the University of Applied Sciences, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the JAIN “Deemed To Be” University.

Additionally, some 19 programmes have been added through UWI’s Open Campus. Six of those programmes are post-graduate diplomas, nine technical and vocational and craft programmes, and four six-month certificates in early childhood.