By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
Member of Parliament Coretta McDonald has raised serious concerns about the Government’s funding priorities in the education sector, questioning whether Guyana’s premier tertiary institution is being treated as second-class to facilitate expanded investment in the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL).
Speaking out following the presentation of the 2026 National Budget, McDonald, a parliamentarian for the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and an experienced educator, expressed alarm at the level of funding allocated to the University of Guyana.
“What I found alarming is that our very own university and premier tertiary institution again is running second place,” McDonald said.
Under the 2026 budget, the University of Guyana has been allocated $14.5 billion—approximately $6.6 billion less than the $21.2 billion it requested. While the allocation represents an increase of about $1 billion over 2025, McDonald argues it falls well short of what is required to meet the institution’s expanding academic, infrastructural, and research needs.
During the budget presentation, Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, stated that the subvention would support expanded university operations, including initiatives to increase access to medical and engineering programmes in Regions Two, Three, and Six. However, McDonald questioned whether those commitments can be meaningfully realised with what she described as inadequate funding.
She further suggested that the allocation pattern reflects misplaced priorities, arguing that the Guyana Online Academy of Learning continues to receive higher levels of support despite the University of Guyana’s central role in national development.
“GOAL, which is family, friends, and favourite oriented, is again having a higher allocation as against what is budgeted for the University of Guyana,” McDonald contended.
Critics of the government’s approach argue that such funding decisions undermine the university’s capacity to deliver quality education, advance research, and build Guyana’s intellectual capital. They warn that sidelining the country’s primary tertiary institution could have long-term consequences for workforce development and innovation.
McDonald emphasised that public investment in education should be strategic and merit-based, particularly given the university’s importance to national progress. She cautioned that when funding is perceived to favour less impactful programmes due to informal networks or political considerations, this risk perpetuates inequality and weakens institutional credibility.
Similar concerns were echoed by Toshana Famey-Corlette, Member of Parliament for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party. She criticised what she described as disproportionate spending on scholarships for overseas institutions while local capacity—such as online and distance learning at the University of Guyana—remains underdeveloped.
Meanwhile, the Government has pointed to additional education-related measures, including the write-off of more than $3 billion in student loans for over 4,000 individuals, with plans to continue the programme in 2026.
Overall, the education sector has been allocated $183.6 billion in the 2026 budget, a marginal increase from the $183.5 billion allocated in 2025. However, opposition figures maintain that without a stronger commitment to strengthening the University of Guyana, the country risks weakening the very foundation of its human capital development.
