Education Minister Priya Manickchand has revealed that in addition to Government’s Student Loan Write-Off Programme, starting January 2025, all facilities and miscellaneous fees for students of the University of Guyana (UG) would be abolished.
Speaking during the 89th Sitting of the National Assembly, Minister Manickchand affirmed that this decision complements the previously announced abolition of tuition fees, and coincides with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) manifesto promise of free tertiary education for all eligible Guyanese.
“I am very happy to say to you that this free university education relates to both tuition as well as miscellaneous costs that ordinarily would have (been) passed on to the student learner at the university,” the minister explained.
Minister Manickchand, who was at the time defending the Education Ministry’s request for a subvention of $1.1 billion through Financial Paper No 4, explained that the sum is necessary to ensure the continued operation of the university’s Turkeyen and Berbice campuses as they prepare to transition to a fee-free model. “This is the amount that will meet the costs of the university from now until the end of December,” she clarified.
Abolishing the payment of fees at UG would not only ease financial burdens on students, but would also position Guyana as a leader in education reform in the region. This initiative, coupled with the Student Loan Write-Off Programme, is expected to launch the country into a transformative era in education, opening doors of opportunity to thousands of citizens, and setting the stage for sustained national development.
Already Guyanese are benefitting from the loan write-off, and with additional measures being rolled out to improve the ease of access to the initiative by prospective beneficiaries, more are said to come on board.
The new measures announced recently by Finance and Public Service Minister Dr Ashni Singh include the full online submission of applications through the Ministry of Finance website at https://studentloanwriteoff.gov.gy/apply/new.
In addition, with immediate effect, drop boxes will be placed at all 10 Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Offices countrywide, as well as at the Education Ministry’s office at 26 Brickdam, Georgetown and at the University of Guyana Tain Campus in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), to facilitate the submission of hard copy application forms.
Moreover, via any post office, applicants may also mail in their applications to the Student Loan Agency. Persons using this method are advised to address their envelopes to: Student Loan Agency, PO Box 101544, Georgetown, and state their names and addresses behind the envelopes.
Application forms will also be available at all RDC and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) offices countrywide.
In May of this year, the Government announced its Student Loan Write-Off Programme – an initiative that would see student loans to the tune of $18 billion being written off.
Further, tuition fees at all Government technical and vocational training institutes, including the Guyana Industrial Training Centre, the Guyana School of Agriculture, and the Carnegie School of Home Economics, have been abolished. This expanded measure is slated to benefit over 3000 additional persons. It also forms part of the Government’s broader initiative to enhance human capital development in order to reduce inequality and improve access to education for every Guyanese citizen.
In its 2024 Mid-Year Report, which was released in August, the Ministry of Finance had reported that some 346 students had already had their loans — amounting to $203.7 million — written off. Beneficiaries of this phase are former students who were able to prove they had completed their course of study and had graduated; and after graduation, have been employed or self-employed in Guyana for a minimum of three years, as evidenced by a minimum of 156 contributions made to the National Insurance Scheme.
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