Guyana’s Digital School Raises Questions About Credibility, Priorities and the PPP’s Motives

The Government of Guyana recently launched what it calls an online school, claiming it will enhance the education of thousands of students across the country and the wider Caribbean. International outlets quickly reported on the initiative, noting that more than 30,000 local and regional students have already enrolled. The platform currently offers high school courses, with plans to expand next year.

Deputy Chief Education Officer Ritesh Tularam told the Associated Press that students from as far away as India are logging on, calling the initiative a “game changer” for education delivery in Guyana. President Irfaan Ali described the platform as offering high-quality digital tools, while Caribbean leaders, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, publicly praised it as a regional model of innovation.

But at home, the numbers do not appear to match. According to the Ministry of Education, fewer than 18,000 students are in grades ten and eleven, with grade ten enrollment at roughly 10,000 nationwide. If the government’s claim of 30,000 enrolled students is accurate, more than half must be non-Guyanese. Observers question why taxpayers in an oil-rich country are funding educational services for the region when tens of thousands of Guyanese children lack even basic tools for learning.

Guyana is experiencing an oil boom, yet poverty persists. Official figures put national poverty at 58 percent, with abject poverty affecting 32 percent of the population. However, these numbers are widely questioned and suspected to be higher, given the country’s weak data-gathering methods and the reluctance of many citizens to report their true circumstances due to fear of retaliation.

Many families lack reliable electricity, and in some communities, there is none at all. Where electricity exists, frequent blackouts and high costs prevail. In a society where food and transportation have become unaffordable, thousands cannot buy computers, tablets, printers, or smartphones capable of accessing online modules. Internet access, especially in the interior, remains prohibitively expensive.

These realities raise doubts about whether the digital school can meaningfully reach the students who need it most. Instead of closing educational gaps, the platform may inadvertently widen them by privileging digitally connected students while leaving vulnerable children further behind.

Tularam defended the investment, emphasizing that the world’s future is digital and that Guyana must seize global opportunities. Yet he did not address that many Guyanese students do not finish school, and that institutions often lack sanitation, textbooks, trained teachers, and secure classrooms. Teachers continue to request livable wages while the PPP prioritizes an online platform that large portions of the population cannot access.

Another issue is the definition of “digital school.” What has been launched is essentially an electronic repository of grade ten and eleven resources, similar to systems found in many American school districts, yet it is being marketed as a standalone school.

Several questions remain unanswered. Who is funding access for Caribbean students? Is Guyana paying required copyright fees for regional textbooks and CSEC materials? Why have domestic educational innovators been sidelined? Government credibility is also in question, as local press releases cite 20,000 students while international reports claim 30,000. If either figure is correct, the continued push for grade ten and eleven students to enroll appears inconsistent.

Many observers suggest that the government’s promotion of the platform may be intended to enhance the PPP’s international image rather than solely improve education for Guyanese children. In a country where half the population lives in poverty, electricity is unreliable, and school infrastructure is deteriorating, the digital school may be perceived as ambitious but largely inaccessible to those who need it most.

Citizens are questioning why the government invests in a regional online initiative while basic services at home remain inconsistent. In a country rich on paper but marked by stark inequality, the digital school may appear visionary, yet in practice it highlights the gap between political ambition and the everyday realities of those who are most in need.