Dear Editor,
The Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) was introduced as a revolutionary initiative to up-skill Guyanese through scholarships and online training, including a multi-million-dollar partnership with Coursera. However, serious questions about financial transparency, efficiency, and workforce impact remain unanswered.
Despite billions of taxpayer dollars being allocated, Guyanese are still struggling to find jobs, and foreign workers are still being brought in to fill critical roles. Where is the accountability?
I have personally sent formal inquiries to Minister of Education, Coursera CEO, and other members of parliament, and to date, no response has been provided. This silence only raises more concerns. Given the massive budget allocations and unclear programme outcomes, an independent audit of GOAL, Coursera, and related ICT training programme is now a necessity.
Where is the Money Going?
1. GOAL and Coursera Get More Public Funds Than UG
In 2024, the University of Guyana (UG) received $4.1 billion, while GOAL received $4 billion—nearly equal funding.
When adding the extra $350 million allocated for Coursera, GOAL actually received more money than UG in 2024.
How does it make sense for an online training initiative to get more funding than our national university?
2. The Coursera Cost Breakdown – Wasting Millions on Certifications?
The Coursera initiative received $350 million in 2024 to train up to 450,000 Guyanese.
However, at least 21 individuals completed over 100 courses each, with one participant completing 1,001 Coursera courses.
Since each Coursera certification costs around $49 USD, the government spent:
$49,049 USD (GYD $10M+) on one participant alone.
$24,175 USD (GYD $5M+) on another participant who completed 493 courses.
Over $200,000 USD (GYD $42M+) just on the 21 people who did over 100 courses each.
Why did the government prioritise paying for thousands of Coursera certificates for a few individuals instead of funding full degrees or accredited industry training?
3. Questionable Course Completion Rates
The Ministry of Education claims that 55,348 people registered for Coursera under GOAL, with 54,348 certificates issued.
This suggests a near 100% completion rate—a statistic that defies expectations given that many Coursera courses require substantial coursework and exams.
Who is verifying these completion rates?
How many of these courses were actually meaningful for employment?
What About the One Guyana Digital Program? Another Budget Hole? While GOAL and Coursera raise concerns, the One Guyana Digital Program is another financial black hole that lacks accountability.
In 2024, $735 million was allocated to train 1,000 students in ICT skills over two years.
By December 2024, only 361 students enrolled, and just 126 completed their training—a 12.6% success rate.
Despite underperforming, the program’s 2025 funding was increased to $1.8 billion—nearly 2.5 times the previous budget.
Why was the budget increased when the program failed to meet its 2024 targets?
Cost per graduate breakdown:
In 2024, $735 million for 126 graduates means each student cost $5.83 million.
If the 2025 target of 1,500 students is met, the cost per trainee would drop to $1.2 million, but there is no guarantee the program will meet its targets.
Why is funding increasing despite failure?
Was the 2024 budget underutilized or mismanaged?
Why isn’t there transparency on how the funds were spent?
What are the employment outcomes for the 126 graduates?
Multiple ICT Programs – Too Much Overlap, No Clear Plan
Guyana’s 2024 and 2025 budgets show multiple government-funded ICT training programmes with no clear distinction between them.
- Coursera Partnership ($350M in 2024) – Supposed to train 450,000 Guyanese in ICT and other fields.
- One Guyana Digital Programme ($735M in 2024, $1.8B in 2025) – Meant to train 1,000 young persons in ICT for near-shore jobs.
- GOAL Scholarships ($4B in 2024, $4.4B in 2025) – Includes ICT programmes, but lacks clear details.
How do these programmes differ?
Why are they operating separately instead of under one national ICT training strategy?
Are some students being counted under multiple programmes to inflate success numbers?
The lack of coordination and transparency suggests inefficient spending and possible duplication of efforts.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued 13,713 work permits to foreign nationals in 2024, stating that local workers lacked the required skills. If GOAL, Coursera, and One Guyana Digital are successfully training thousands of Guyanese, why is Guyana still importing workers?
Why aren’t these programmes focused on oil and gas, occupational safety, or cybersecurity—industries where locals struggle to compete due to high certification costs?
How many Coursera graduates have actually secured jobs?
If billions are being spent on training, yet employers are still hiring foreign workers, then the programmes are failing to meet real job market demands.
To ensure public funds are being used responsibly, I strongly urge the government to:
- Conduct an independent audit of GOAL and Coursera
- Review all financial transactions to determine spending accountability.
- Verify course completion rates and the legitimacy of certificates issued.
- Assess how many Coursera graduates have actually secured jobs.
- Provide full financial disclosures for all ICT training programmes
- Show a breakdown of funds per participant for Coursera and One Guyana Digital.
- Explain the budget increase for One Guyana Digital despite underperformance.
- Publish workforce integration reports
- Show how many graduates have been placed in jobs relevant to their training.
- Clarify why foreign work permits continue to rise despite billions being spent on training locals.
This is not about politics—it is about accountability. The Guyanese people deserve clear answers about how billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent. If these programs are truly successful, an audit will confirm their impact. If they are wasteful or mismanaged, then corrective action must be taken.
I urge the government, opposition, media, and civil society organisations to demand full transparency. The people of Guyana deserve clear answers—not inflated statistics and budget increases without explanation.
Yours truly,
Nakisha Allen
