Free extra lessons offer relief to parents unable to afford private tutoring

Parents of primary and secondary school students have welcomed the introduction of free online reinforcement classes by the Guyana Digital School (GDS), describing the initiative as a useful opportunity to strengthen their children’s understanding of key subjects, particularly Mathematics and literacy. Sasha Parsram, of East Coast Demerara (ECD), who has a daughter in Grade Two at the La Bonne Intention Primary School, signed her child up for the platform in the hope of getting additional assistance in Mathematics and literacy.
“It’s a great initiative. My daughter started using it earlier this week. Well, it’s not difficult, but just that it’s kids and you cannot hear when the teacher is talking because all the kids want to talk at the same time,” Parsram said.
Another parent, Suzanne Prashad, whose child is in Grade One child, also welcomed the initiative, saying she viewed the classes as an opportunity to reinforce areas in which her child needed additional support.
“I decided to use it as a reinforcement to strengthen the weak subject areas… I think it’s a good initiative,” Prashad said.
The parents’ responses come as the Education Ministry on Monday moved to expand the services offered through the Guyana Digital School, with free live reinforcement classes now available to students from Grades One to Eleven.
The classes are intended to provide additional academic support to students outside of regular school hours. A range of subjects is being covered, with sessions scheduled throughout the week according to grade level. According to the Director of the Guyana Digital School, Phillipe Walker, the initiative is aimed at making additional lessons more accessible, particularly for families who cannot afford to pay for private extra lessons. In a video statement announcing the expansion, Walker said the school had previously been providing content and live sessions to students preparing for the 2026 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
The initiative is now being extended to primary and secondary school students, allowing learners from Grades One to Eleven to also benefit from live reinforcement sessions in the afternoons. “Starting today [Tuesday], we’ll be offering live reinforcement classes to students from Grades 1 through 11. That means for primary school and secondary school students, we’ll be having live reinforcement sessions every afternoon. And I must say that these classes are completely free,” Walker said.
He explained that primary school sessions are scheduled between 17:30h (5:30pm) and 18:30h (6:30 pm), while upper secondary school students will have access to sessions extending into the evening. The wider programme is expected to cover a range of subjects, with the accompanying timetable outlining the specific days and times for each grade. To access the classes, parents or students must first register with the Guyana Digital School through its website. Once registered, students can log into the platform and access the live class links according to their respective grade levels.
Walker encouraged parents to link their email addresses to their children’s accounts during registration, explaining that this would allow them to monitor their children’s progress and provide support with the classes and other learning materials available on the platform.
He acknowledged that there could be some initial challenges as the programme gets underway but encouraged parents to contact the school for assistance where necessary. In a subsequent post, Walker described the initiative as an important step towards addressing the financial challenges faced by families seeking additional academic support for their children.
“The Digital School is filling the gap for those students and parents who cannot afford to pay for extra lessons but who have been longing for reinforcement classes to assist them in their learning,” he said.
He also acknowledged that there were a few initial challenges to be addressed, describing the programme’s first day as the beginning of an effort to broaden access to education. A brainchild of President Dr Irfaan Ali, the Guyana Digital School, was officially launched in December 2025 under the Ministry of Education.
The platform was established to complement, rather than replace, traditional classroom education through a blended learning model that combines technology, educational content, student engagement and practical experiences.
Its four-quadrant approach incorporates interactive online classes, a digital library, skill-building programmes beyond the standard curriculum and hands-on projects that allow students to apply what they have learnt.
Students also benefit from artificial intelligence (AI)-supported learning tools, live sessions conducted by trained educators and access to a comprehensive digital library, including textbooks for Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations.
The platform is also intended to support learners beyond Guyana, with access to educational resources for students across the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM).