The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) made a grave error in 1994 when it stripped Guyanese of their constitutional right to free education, a right that spanned from nursery to university. That year, the PPP government introduced fee-paying tuition at the University of Guyana, placing an immense financial burden on young people who aspired to further their education. Students were graduating from university with loans, even before they had the opportunity to enter the workforce.
It is also worth noting the hypocrisy of the PPP’s leadership, many of whom benefited from free tuition at the University of Guyana under the successive People’s National Congress (PNC) governments of Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte. These leaders, who once enjoyed the privileges of a free education system, denied the same to the generations that followed. This not only highlighted a lack of commitment to the education of the nation but also showed a disdain for the principles of equality and opportunity.
The recent promise by the PPP/C government to restore free tuition in 2025 is a welcome move, but it cannot be viewed as anything more than an electioneering strategy—a cynical attempt to win votes by restoring long-denied right. While Guyana is now the world’s fastest-growing economy and among the richest per capita, the government’s commitment to providing tuition-free education at the University of Guyana was always in question.
Guyana economic growth exploded with the production of first oil in December 2019.
Critics have long argued that the PPP’s policies of exclusion and ignorance serve as tools of control. A well-educated population, capable of independent thought and critical analysis, poses a direct challenge to the government’s narrative and its long-standing policies. An educated citizenry would question the government’s actions and push for reforms that serve the broader society.
The restoration of free education in 2025 is a positive step, but it is simply not enough. The government must go further by wiping out the student loans of those who paid for their education between 1994 and 2024. Those who were forced to bear the financial burden of a policy that was wrong from the outset deserve justice.
Additionally, the government should refund the students who paid tuition during that period, acknowledging the financial strain placed on them by the PPP/C’s decision to impose fees. The people of Guyana, especially those from lower economic backgrounds, deserve nothing less than full restitution for the injustice they have faced.
