| The Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) has committed that should they win the next General and Regional Elections, University of Guyana (UG) students would no longer have to pay tuition fees. The Opposition has also committed to “write off all student’s debt and pay an education stipend to students” and moreover “will work together with UG to increase its involvement in and impact on national development.” The Opposition, in lashing out at the government’s failure, yet another year to commit to its promise to free university education, said the “decision to take away free tertiary education still weighs students down” and has called for education to be made free immediately. The coalition is also reiterating their “call for student stipends to help with internet, transportation and other expenses that do not appear on any University invoice, but are expenses students must bear, nonetheless.” Article 27 in the Constitution of Guyana enshrines that “Every citizen has the right to free education from nursery to university as well as at non -formal places where opportunities are provided for education and training.” This right was taken away from Guyana’s children by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government. However, the Constitution of Guyana also said any law that contravenes it shall be deemed null and void. Students who cannot afford to pay tuition fees could be eligible for loans from the Ministry of Finance which requires guarantors. The 2022/23 academic year is about to begin, and students are getting ready to return to the classrooms. Both the APNU+AFC and the PPP/C have committed in their manifestoes to respect the right to free university education. Charging that for two years the government has sat on its hands and did nothing, the coalition said a next APNU+AFC government will not only provide free education but will “work with the UG administration on initiatives to produce a regular stream of competent graduates to serve in the oil and gas sector and, more generally, to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving Guyanese economy for other skills.” |
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