With free education at UG, there must be value for money – Education Minister

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has said that while the government’s move to make the University of Guyana (UG) tuition-free is significant, ensuring that the university delivers value for money is equally essential.

“Making the University of Guyana free has been something the government worked on, looked at, and wanted to do. We also have, which we have openly spoken to the Vice Chancellor about, we have to look at efficiency at a university too,” Manickchand stated during her ministry’s year-end press conference.

“It is not just what you get, it is how you spend what you get and whether we’re getting full value for money.” Manickchand pointed out concerns regarding the delivery of classes, noting that some courses are being offered fully online, which, she argued, could reduce the university to an entirely online institution.

She also highlighted reports of classes starting late in the semester, with some even running behind schedule.

“You have people in this room, and again, I’ll keep my eyes on you, who have complained that they have not been able to go to a single in-person class, that late in the term classes had not even begun,” she said. “I don’t think the university has not been examining itself. I believe they have because I have had those conversations with the Vice Chancellor, and I think they have also been looking at ways they can make improvements. I know they try very hard to accommodate students given their own limitations and so on.”

The Minister also reflected on the financial challenges UG faced after the government announced the abolition of tuition fees. She revealed that last year, the university had requested $1.2 billion to cover its operational costs.

“Last year, when the University of Guyana said that because of our November announcement, they were $1.2 billion short of what they needed to finish the six weeks in the year, we gave it without hesitation,” Manickchand noted.

During his address to the 12th Parliament of Guyana, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced that tuition fees at UG will be eliminated starting in January 2025.

This initiative will benefit about 11,000 current students and cost about $8 billion. Moreover, the government wrote off over $203.7 million in student debt owed to the university as it worked to make tertiary education free.