GOAL, Arka Jain PhD partnership to significantly boost Guyana’s doctoral candidates

– 202 students enrolled in various disciplines

In a historic leap toward expanding higher education in Guyana, 202 Guyanese students have officially embarked on their PhD journeys through a strategic partnership between the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) and ARKA JAIN University of India. This milestone represents one of the largest cohorts of doctoral candidates in Guyana’s history, and underscores the Government’s commitment to nurturing a highly skilled, research-oriented workforce.
Speaking at the official launch ceremony held Friday morning, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh explained that the initiative is part of the Government of Guyana’s ongoing efforts to strengthen skills and knowledge across the country, helping to prepare future leaders, professionals and researchers to support national development. It also adds to the growing number of doctoral opportunities available through GOAL, including PhD programmes currently offered in partnership with UNICAF University.
Meanwhile, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, Director of GOAL, assured students that ARKA JAIN was selected based on rigorous academic standards and institutional quality. He encouraged scholars to stay committed, reminding them that doctoral studies are demanding but ultimately rewarding.
The three-year PhD programmes span a broad range of disciplines, including Education and Psychology, which covers Early Childhood Education Management, Educational Policy, Secondary Education Leadership, Educational Psychology, Human Resource Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, and Social Psychology; Science and Technology, which covers Biotechnology, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Information Systems Management, and Pharmacy; Public Service and Communication, which cover Public Administration and Management, Journalism and Mass Communication, and Higher Education Governance and Business & Management, which covers Strategic Management, Marketing Management, International Business, Operations Management, Financial Management, Project Management, Human Resources Management, Commerce, and Business Ethics.

GOAL scholarship
A total of 2000 persons graduated from the GOAL Scholarships Programme this year, Postgraduate Diplomas, Bachelor’s Degree, GROW and Certificate Programmes, and among them is a total of 580 graduates who received their master’s degree. In its 2020 manifesto, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration had promised to provide Guyanese with 20,000 online scholarships. To date, that number has already surpassed 39,000 scholarships.
Of the 39,000 graduates, some 5,602 Guyanese, including teachers, have achieved master’s degrees and 378 have earned PhDs through the GOAL initiative, marking a major milestone in the professional development of educators and the enhancement of the nation’s professional workforce.
Back in January, Education Minister Priya Manickchand during the Ministry’s End- of- Year press conference stated that “814 from Region One who otherwise could not have access to a foreign university to be able to study for their degrees and master’s and PhDs. 2,702 from Region Two, 4,431 from Region Three, 13,002 from Regions Four and One. 842 from Region Five, Two,983 from Region Six, 918 from Region Seven, 605 from Region Eight, 700 from Region Nine and 1,761 from region 10…. We are not people who find reasons why things can’t happen. We try to make sure we give opportunities and, of course, people have to avail themselves of those opportunities,” she went on to state.
Based on statistics provided by GOAL, scholarships to individuals from the ten administrative regions continues to increase yearly, with 6,280 scholarships awarded in 2021, 7,410 in 2022, 7,752 in 2023 and a massive 8,316 in 2024.
Notably, 5,602 earned SCQF Level 6 certificates, 1,312 copped General Educational Development (GEDs), 191 earned Foundation Diplomas, 3 for Undergraduate Certificate, 856 for Associate Degrees, 6,571 copped Bachelor’s, four for Postgraduate Certificate and 920 persons earned Postgraduate Diplomas.