The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Service launched the ‘Guyana Online Learning Academy (GOAL)’. The application portal is opened for the first batch of entrants. GOAL is expected to award 4,500 scholarships this year. It offers 84 different programs from five institutions.
These scholarships ranges from two months to six months certificate programs- that require little to no qualification(s), to masters degree and graduate diploma programmes that requires a bachelor’s degree for entry.
The scholarships offered is due to a collaboration between the Ministry Of Education (MOE) and the Ministry Of Public Service.
The Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand stated, “The MOE is dealing with the technical aspects, but once that’s done the applicants go to the Ministry of Public Service because we don’t give scholarships at education, we never have.”
Persons applying for the programmes listed can either drop in a physical application at the Ministry Of Public Service – 164 Waterloo Street, or online at http://education.gov.gy/ or http:scholarships.dps.gov.gy/.
Applicants can cut and use the application posted in the newspapers. However, they are required to submit a passport size photo, copies of their academic certificates, proof of identification, a motivational statement and a letter of recommendation [from someone in authority].
“We want to be able to offer training to persons who feel they need it without limiting that training to only persons who have been qualified or are qualified to traditionally enter the universities,” Minister Manickchand said
The universities that the programmes are being done through include, The University of the West Indies Open Campus, based in Barbados, The University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) based in Trinidad, The University of Applied Sciences (IUBH) in Germany, The Indira Gandi National Open University (IGNOU) and the JAIN “Deemed To Be” University based in India.
Minister Parag noted that while some of the scholarships offered to public servants will form parcel of the scholarship under GOAL, the online academy will provide a wider platform that goes beyond the public service.
Parag said “we’re looking to gain human capital for the public sector and nationally as well; by doing so , we are providing these necessary and relevant fields of studies for persons to gain the necessary skill set. We have different categories that we are looking to award, such as the general public, the disciplinary services, and the public servants.”
She stated that while persons are required to give back to the country, in some cases persons will have to give back in the form of community service, and not necessarily through appointment into the public service as is customary with public service scholarships.