WPA calls for audit of GOAL scholarship programme

Mar 11, 2025 News

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…urges Govt. to rethink the project

Kaieteur News- Amid growing concerns over the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship programme, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has called for a comprehensive audit and a re-evaluation of the initiative.

The calls come in response to complaints from students who enrolled in the scholarship programme, claiming that the courses they registered for, do not align with their designated programmes.

The courses, were initially supposed to be offered by Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom. The students said they contacted Staffordshire University but officials there denied any involvement in GOAL scholarship programme.

As a result of this incident, hundreds of students are now concerned that their certificates may not be recognized internationally.

A meeting was reportedly scheduled between GOAL officials and Staffordshire University, but attempts to contact the director of GOAL, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, for further clarification were unsuccessful.

During a press conference on Monday, WPA member Dr. David Hinds explained the reason behind calling for an audit.

“The Staffordshire University revelation is but one instance, and that is why we’re calling for an audit to find out whether there are other instances similar to the one encountered at Staffordshire University, or whether there are other problems with the project,” Dr. Hinds said.

Dr. Hinds also raised concerns about the government’s lack of transparency regarding the GOAL programme.

“A project of that nature has its place within the confines of an educational institution, anything short of that you’re talking about getting into the degree mill. As we have seen Staffordshire is saying they are not aware of the course in Guyana, the government is giving us some half day explanation,” he said.

He added, “These, we’ve had the experience in Europe, in the United States, of these fly-by-night university or degree middles, as we call them, coming up and not delivering a quality education to people, and people spend their money. In this case, government is paying for these courses at the end of the day, but the students are given certificates which they’re not accepted by a lot of agencies.”

Dr. Hinds explained that while the WPA does not oppose the scholarship programme, he stated that the programme was not well thought out. “As a university professor, before a university launches an online programme a virtual programme, it does at the minimum, a five-year preparation, at the minimum. Some universities will tell you they spend more time than that.”

Dr. Hinds added, “You have to do training, you have to do pilot studies, you have to do due diligence before you learn such projects because virtual education is not easy. It’s not straightforward. We are not sorted that this project was well thought out.”

He further criticized the programme for its failure to enhance the skills of young people, stating that the programme, “is a project that devalues the skill set of our young people rather than adding value to what they already have.”

Dr. Hinds added, “I am sure that there are many numbers of trained and skilled teachers, professors in virtual education, Guyanese [would] very gladly volunteer their skills to help develop such a project. I have talked to many, many Guyanese and Caribbean, these scholars and none of them, none of them was consulted by the government on this project, and so therefore, we are calling for an audit, and when the audit is finished, we are calling for a rethinking of the project.”

WPA Executive Member Mutope Tacuma Ogunseye joined Dr. Hinds for a review of the project.

“The WPA has been called for a review the project, and I am and we are committed to that, but we will hope a review of the project would eventually place the project under or integrate it with University of Guyana, so that it becomes, you know, part and parcel of that institution.”

Ogunseye added, “We are, we are not buying into the government’s attempt to have two parallel universities, one that they control based upon party and partisan oversight, and a process that have led to frustrations among the hundreds of persons who have signed on to the project just to be told that they’re in a bogus scheme, we think is a great disservice to the youths of the country.”

Last week, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in response to the controversy attributed the issues to a disagreement between the International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC) and Staffordshire University.

“This is not fake,” Jagdeo said. “He (Jacob Opadeyi) explained to us, that there’s some disagreement now between the university and the group ISDC, and because of change in management at the university,” Jagdeo told reporters at his Thursday press conference held at Freedom House, Robb Street.

The Vice President assured the public that the government is committed to resolving the situation, adding, “it’s either they sort out the difference there, which could be sorted out, but, if they can’t sort it out, just two other universities in the United Kingdom will accept the grade that people got. They already credit them for work already done.”

He assured that the government would ensure that no student is left behind. “I want to assure the people; we’re not going to…leave anybody by the wayside. This has to be resolved to their satisfaction,” he said.

(WPA calls for audit of GOAL scholarship programme)

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• GOAL officials, Guyana Online Academy of Learning, re-evaluation, scholarship programme

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