Press Release – Education Ministry pleased with the response from Guyanese to Coursera initiative

The Ministry of Education is pleased to announce that the number of Guyanese that have registered for the Workforce Recovery Initiative offered by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Coursera to pursue free online courses on the Coursera platform continues to increase steadily.

This interest is both a sign that Guyanese have been starving for opportunities to elevate themselves and that Guyanese are finding the courses offered suitable to their interests and goals.

As of Monday, October 5, 2020, forty-six thousand five hundred and five (46, 505) Guyanese registered on the Coursera platform through the Ministry of Education to pursue one or more of the 4,000 free courses being offered. 

On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, seven hundred and nine (709) Guyanese were among the first cohort of Coursera graduates in the Caribbean Region. Today marks two weeks since that graduation and currently 2, 373 Guyanese have completed courses and have received their certification in the respective areas of study.

One of our graduates, Ms. Oneka Thom stated that the online platform extended to Guyanese through Coursera and the Commonwealth of Learning has been a hands-on approach that has made a difference in her life and many others since there are opportunities for personal and professional development that are nearly endless.

Ms. Amrita Naraine, who is a Research Assistant in Business Policy and Strategy at the Ministry of Tourism said that she has been using the courses to expand her knowledge base in areas such as Behavioural Finance, Financial Markets and Data Analytics.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kelron Benjamin said that despite him pursuing courses in areas that were new to him, he was successful in completing them. He said, “I believe this is a great initiative to help young people or anyone no matter your age or educational background, be it if you’re unemployed, an entrepreneur or a business professional. This initiative would help you to acquire additional knowledge and skills that would be beneficial in the future. I would like to thank the Ministry of Education for affording me the opportunity to be a part of this initiative. If I can do it anyone can.”

The opportunity still exists for more persons to benefit. The deadline for registration was initially September 30, 2020. However, pursuant to the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, the deadline has been extended to October 31, 2020.

Interested persons can register by visiting: education.gov.gy/upskill.