Report from the Hon. Sonia Parag, Minister of Education

Report from the Hon. Sonia Parag, Minister of Education||

There are some mornings when your mind simply refuses to rest. As I looked forward to celebrating another graduating class today, I found myself reflecting on these photographs and on the incredible journey of the GOAL Scholarship Programme since its launch in 2021.

When we launched GOAL in 2021, Guyana was still grappling with the effects of COVID-19. Yet even amidst that uncertainty, His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali had a clear vision that predated his election to office. Quite some time before the 2020 elections, he understood that Guyana was on the threshold of extraordinary growth and development and that if our people were to fully benefit from the opportunities ahead, they needed access to quality education and training. GOAL was born out of that vision.

At the time, I was serving as Minister of Public Service and was entrusted with helping to bring that vision to life. I remember travelling across Guyana with many of my Cabinet colleagues, meeting citizens in communities large and small, encouraging them to believe that further education was within their reach. We started with just five institutions and roughly 120 programmes. Today, there are more than 30 institutions offering close to a 1000 programmes to Guyanese through GOAL, and universities from around the world continue to seek partnerships with the programme.

But, what many people never saw were the long nights behind the scenes. I remember sitting with a very small team, many times late into the night, carefully reading personal statements, reviewing applications and ensuring that prospective students met the requirements for admission. We understood that every application represented a real person with hopes, ambitions and dreams. We wanted to ensure that GOAL remained true to its purpose of creating opportunities for ordinary Guyanese.

Today, more than 54,000 scholarships have been awarded and close to 15,000 Guyanese have already graduated. Those numbers are significant, but they are not what stay with me most. What stays with me are the people.

The woman in Black Bush Polder who finally earned the qualification she had postponed for years. The young man from Karasabai determined to build a better future for himself. The residents of Wauna, Kwakwani and countless other communities who took a chance on themselves and succeeded. Education truly changes lives. I have seen it happen thousands of times through GOAL.

As we celebrate another graduating class today, I feel immense pride, not simply because of what this programme has achieved, but because of what thousands of Guyanese have achieved through it. Their success is the true measure of GOAL's impact and I am grateful to have been part of this journey from the very beginning.

I eagerly look forward to cheering the 3,876 graduands cross the stage today!