Hon. Sonia Parag

Minister of Education, Co-operative Republic of Guyana

“At the Ministry of Education, we remain committed to strengthening our schools as safe environments where every child can learn and thrive.”

Contact the office The Minister at work

Official portrait of Hon. Sonia Parag, Minister of Education

200,000+
Children in public and private schools
10 regions
Every administrative region, coast to hinterland
Nursery to CAPE
The whole education journey, one portfolio

Biography

About the Minister

Hon. Sonia Parag has been Minister of Education since September 2025, her second term in the Cabinet of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

Born and raised on the Essequibo Coast, she attended Anna Regina Primary (now C.V. Nunes Primary) and President's College, then went on to the University of Guyana and the Hugh Wooding Law School. She was called to the Bar in 2007 and spent several years in private practice.

She entered the Cabinet in 2020 as Minister of Public Service, and in January 2024 became Guyana's first female Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. In Parliament she has served on the Parliamentary Management Committee, the Constitutional Reform Committee and the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Standing Committee on Sustainable Development.

As Minister of Education she oversees the national school network and the Ministry's Distance Education Unit, home of the Guyana Learning Channel and EdYou FM. Much of that work happens in communities: through Cabinet and ministerial outreach she has met residents, parents and teachers from the Mahaicony River to Regions One, Seven and Ten.

Portfolio

Priorities of the office

The programme areas the Ministry is driving under the Minister's direction.

Universal secondary access
Bringing a secondary school within reach of every child, hinterland and coast alike, after more than 100 new nursery, primary and secondary schools in five years.
Literacy and numeracy
Literacy assessments in Grades Two and Four, so teachers can see where each child is and help early, with numeracy assessments to follow in 2027.
STEM education
A STEM Centre at the University of Guyana's Turkeyen Campus, and 62 new teachers being trained to teach STEM in schools.
Technical and vocational skills
A TVET centre in every region by the end of 2026, and new computer-aided design labs in secondary schools.
Teacher training
Working with the Cyril Potter College of Education to strengthen how teachers are prepared for the classroom.
Safe schools
An Anti-Bullying Reporting System for students, parents and teachers, and an Anti-Bullying and Anti-Violence Policy to be released for public comment.