Deadline for Coursera registration extended

– over 24,000 Guyanese already registered

The Education Ministry publicly announced its collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning to provide free access to online courses to the general population offered by Ivy League and other reputable universities through Coursera.
The objective is to provide the opportunity for Guyanese to improve their skills and competencies to enhance their performance and employability. This initiative will serve to help unemployed Guyanese and those who may need to transition to new occupations.
Following the September 4, 2020 launch, as of Wednesday, September 9, 2020, a total of 24, 498 Guyanese have registered on the platform and 161 persons have completed their courses or graduated.
The initial deadline for registration was September 30, 2020, but Education Minister Priya Manickchand engaged the Commonwealth of Learning and explained that because of the prolonged election process and our country’s failure to take up the offer previously, Guyanese were not on equal footing with the rest of the Commonwealth and would, therefore, be disadvantaged.
Coupled with the tremendous response and interest, the Education Minister sought an extension of the deadline which now stands at October 31, 2020.
Several Caribbean countries have benefited from this programme, and will have their citizens graduate on September 22, 2020. The Education Minister has been invited to speak at that ceremony.
Guyanese who wish to register on the platform can visit the website: www.education.gov.gy/upskill
The online launch video can be found on the Education Ministry’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/LearningCh/videos/236067911180960/, where you will hear remarks from Minister Manickchand and Commonwealth of Learning Vice President, Dr Venkataraman Balaji.