Nearly 3,900 graduate GOAL, Dr Singh hails human capital revolution

A wave of pride, celebration and achievement swept through the National Cultural Centre as thousands of Guyanese graduates gathered to mark a major milestone under the Government of Guyana’s online scholarship initiative – GOAL –  programme on Tuesday.

The graduation ceremony honoured 3,876 students who completed programmes ranging from certificates and diplomas to bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), one of the government’s flagship education initiatives.

Delivering the feature address, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh, congratulated the graduates on behalf of President Irfaan Ali and described the achievement as both a personal and national triumph.

“These numbers are sweeping and staggering,” Singh told the gathering, noting that the graduating class represented a diverse cross-section of Guyanese society across age groups, professions, disciplines and regions.

According to Singh, women accounted for the majority of graduates, with 2,858 women among the 3,876 graduates. He said the cohort also reflected the government’s commitment to ensuring educational opportunities reach citizens regardless of where they live.

The minister emphasised that the significance of the ceremony extended beyond the awarding of certificates.

“This is not just education. This is economic infrastructure. This is an investment in human capital. This is national development in action,” he declared.

Singh pointed to the dramatic expansion of tertiary education opportunities in Guyana, recalling that decades ago access to university education was limited largely to those who could afford to study overseas or relocate to Georgetown.

He said GOAL was created to remove longstanding barriers that prevented many Guyanese from pursuing higher education due to geography, finances, family obligations, or employment commitments.

Under the programme, students can access internationally recognised qualifications from the comfort of their homes using digital technology.

Nearly six years after its launch, Singh reported that GOAL has awarded more than 47,000 scholarships, far surpassing its original target of 20,000 scholarships within five years.

Throughout his address, the minister highlighted several graduates whose stories reflected the programme’s impact.

Among them was a National Insurance Scheme employee who earned a degree in Human Resource Management, not for promotion, but to better serve her colleagues and the institution. Another graduate completed a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology to strengthen her ability to assist citizens through her work in the public service.

Singh said these stories demonstrate how the programme is transforming lives while simultaneously strengthening public institutions and communities.

He argued that Guyana’s rapid economic transformation requires an equally ambitious investment in people.

“No country has ever developed more rapidly than the pace at which it develops its skills,” Singh said, warning that economic growth without human capital development would be unsustainable.

He described GOAL as a central pillar in the government’s broader strategy to prepare Guyanese for emerging opportunities across sectors such as technology, healthcare, engineering, business, logistics, tourism, and infrastructure.

Addressing the graduates directly, Singh urged them to see their qualifications as more than certificates.

“Your certificate is not meant to be a piece of paper. Your certificate is a responsibility,” he said.

He encouraged graduates to use their newly acquired knowledge and skills to solve problems, improve communities, create new ideas, and provide leadership as Guyana continues its development journey.