分类： education

The Guyana government has begun recovering US$1.5 million from UK-based intermediary International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC) following the collapse of a scholarship program with the University of Staffordshire. Public Service Minister Zulfikar Ally confirmed the reimbursement process during parliamentary questioning on Friday, February 13, 2026.

The troubled scholarships, administered through the Guyana Online Academy for Learning (GOAL), involved more than 1,000 students. Minister Ally stated that partial payments have already been received, with the full amount expected to be refunded by the following week. The minister acknowledged he maintained “constant engagement” with relevant parties to ensure complete restitution.

Parliamentary proceedings revealed additional complications within the GOAL program. Minister Ally admitted that numerous students pursuing degrees through Indira Gandhi University had completed three years of study without receiving degree status updates. The ministry has sought intervention from the Indian High Commission to resolve these credentialing issues.

Regarding student attrition, Ally revealed that less than five percent of scholarship recipients had taken leaves of absence with intention to resume studies. The minister clarified refund policies, noting that universities only return payments if students withdraw before invoice issuance; otherwise, funds are credited toward alternative students.

The GOAL secretariat continues monitoring program graduates to track employment outcomes and program effectiveness. Despite these challenges, the Public Service Ministry has allocated GY$5.7 billion for the scholarship initiative in the 2026 national budget.

A tense property dispute at Guyana’s historic Critchlow Labour College (CLC) nearly escalated into physical violence on Thursday when an excavator arrived to demolish perimeter structures, prompting a dramatic confrontation between competing claimants.

The incident unfolded at the Woolford Avenue, Georgetown property as Stanley Paul, Principal of the University of Excellence, Management and Business (UEMB), physically intervened to prevent demolition crews from breaching the compound’s gates and fencing. Mr. Paul asserted his rights under a 15-year commercial lease agreement signed June 4, 2025, with CLC Principal Dr. Ivor English, which grants UEMB “full, exclusive and uninhibited possession” of the premises including security control.

CLC Board Secretary Lincoln Lewis immediately challenged the lease’s validity, stating that only he possesses authorization to execute agreements on behalf of the institution. “Nobody can sign any lease for Critchlow Labour College unless the Board has permitted me,” Lewis declared, emphasizing that the college remains an incorporated entity despite Mr. Paul’s claims that it became defunct in 2013.

The conflict is further complicated by the property’s underlying lease from Georgetown City Council, granted in 1968 for 99 years with renewal rights. This original agreement stipulates that the land must be used exclusively for CLC purposes and prohibits assignment or subletting without municipal consent—a requirement both parties acknowledge was not sought for the UEMB arrangement.

The physical standoff occurs against a backdrop of devastating fires that destroyed significant portions of the building in 2025, including sections housing the Guyana Trades Union Congress offices and college auditorium. Mr. Lewis reported that since the blazes, Mr. Paul had locked the gates preventing even legitimate tenants from accessing their workplaces.

Legal proceedings initiated by UEMB on January 5, 2026, seeking validation of their lease were unexpectedly withdrawn eight days later, while Georgetown City Council had issued cease-work notices in December 2025 demanding removal of unauthorized construction. Mr. Paul countered that restoration efforts were stalled because CLC officials refused to provide necessary no-objection letters to municipal authorities.

The confrontation highlights deeper institutional conflicts regarding property rights, contractual validity, and the preservation of educational heritage in Guyana, with both parties preparing for prolonged legal battles over this strategically significant campus.

Guyana’s public education system is confronting a substantial staffing crisis with 2,800 vacancies for senior teaching positions, according to Monday’s parliamentary disclosures by Minister of Governance Gail Teixeira. The revelation came during the National Assembly’s Committee of Supply review of the 2026 National Budget allocations for the Teaching Service Commission (TSC).

Minister Teixeira confirmed that the comprehensive list of senior teacher vacancies received initial publication in both Stabroek News and Guyana Chronicle on February 1st, with ongoing advertisements planned to address the critical shortage. The exact number of junior teacher vacancies remains undetermined, pending the Ministry of Education’s assessment of staffing requirements for newly established primary and secondary institutions.

Responding to inquiries from We Invest in Nationhood’s (WIN) representative Tabita Sarabo-Halley, Teixeira emphasized the coordinated approach between the TSC and Education Ministry to achieve optimal balance between teacher supply and demand. She noted that numerous trained educators currently await employment opportunities within the expanding system.

Concurrently, the government has allocated GY$11 million in the 2026 budget for extensive interior renovations of the TSC’s Brickdam office, described by officials as ‘deplorable.’ The rehabilitation project will include reconfiguration of third-floor board rooms, renovation of storage facilities, and repainting of the second floor. This follows last year’s GY$15.4 million expenditure on building improvements, demonstrating continued investment in educational infrastructure amid ongoing teacher recruitment challenges.