OP-ED: Minister Frank Anthony is Plain Wrong

Minister Anthony’s response to valid public concern about the PPP government’s destruction of the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service is a masterclass in misdirection. He attempts to paint a critique of his government’s priorities as a rejection of progress itself. Thinking people will disagree strenuously.

I, too, applaud the government’s funding of Coursera. Access to global knowledge is a powerful thing. However, closing the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service to do so is not a strategic upgrade; it is an act of political pettiness that ignores the realities of the Guyanese learner.

The Minister boasts of Coursera’s accessibility with a device and an internet connection. This reveals a profound disconnect from the daily lives of ordinary Guyanese. What of the students in the hinterlands without reliable network access? What of the public servant struggling to make ends meet who cannot afford a dedicated device for online learning? The Minister speaks of Georgetown to Lethem, but his solution only works for those in Georgetown with a stable Wi-Fi connection. All the research shows that it takes a special kind of student discipline and significant resources to succeed in an entirely online environment. By eliminating the in-person option, the government is slamming the door on countless Guyanese who lack those specific advantages.

The Minister’s logic is dangerously flawed. He argues that because a superior online option exists (Coursera), the physical institution (Bertram Collins) must be shuttered. By this same logic, the University of Guyana should be immediately closed because of the successful GOAL scholarship program. No one in their right mind believes that. A modern, holistic education ecosystem offers both: it leverages world-class online tools **and** maintains vital physical institutions that provide structure, mentorship, and direct access.

His characterization of Bertram Collins as a “political institution” and a “factory for ideological conditioning” is a convenient rewriting of history. Is it not the ultimate political pettiness to discard a national institution simply because it was established by a previous administration? A truly visionary government would have reformed it, improved its curriculum, and purged it of any perceived bias, transforming it into a genuine centre of excellence. Instead, they chose demolition—a move that looks less like progress and more like partisan score-settling.

The Minister speaks of “scaling up” to 27,000 public servants. But quantity does not automatically equal quality. Without the foundational support, digital infrastructure, and human touch that a physical college can provide, how many of those 27,000 will truly complete their courses and effectively integrate their new skills? This is not nation-building; it is checking a box.

We do not have to choose between the future and the past. We can choose a smart synthesis of both. We can embrace Coursera **and** have a robust, reformed public service college. To frame this as an either/or choice is a false dichotomy designed to shut down debate.

The government’s action here is not visionary. It is a narrow-minded decision that prioritizes a global brand over a local institution, and in doing so, risks leaving a significant portion of the population behind. That is not the future; it is a failure of foresight.