Local, US companies partnering to establish STEM school in Guyana

– partnership formed after successful 2023 US trade mission

Following a successful United States (US) trade mission last year, local company ActionINVEST is partnering with American-based EduLink to launch a school that would focus on producing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates.
Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was done on day two of the International Business Conference (IBC) being held at the Marriott Hotel.
ActionINVEST Caribbean, which for some time has provided business courses, will be expanding, with its own school geared at STEM education.
On hand for the signing of the MoU was United States Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot, who lauded the initiative and expressed her country’s support. She also revealed that the partnership was birthed from a US trade mission that visited Guyana last year in November. She said that another trade mission would be arriving next week.
“Action Invest of course is well recognized for its work in education, training and coaching here in Guyana. Harmony Education Solutions is renowned for its work in STEM-based education in the United States and abroad, coupled with their vital support services that schools need to ensure they can deliver the best quality education to their students.
This partnership, as you heard, began from a US trade mission coming to Guyana last November. I actually had the privilege of addressing the group. Very large trade mission. And it’s so important to me that when we do things like trade missions, they result in something. We can all go and visit each other, but if nothing comes out, what have we achieved? This here today is a tangible result,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of ActionINVEST, Dr Vishnu Doerga, revealed that they have managed to secure land in the vicinity of Aubrey Barker Road for the school’s location. According to him, they are seeking funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Republic Bank to make the project a reality.
“Back in 2020, Action Invest would have applied for land to expand on our education offerings that we have. And very recently, we were awarded a location that is on the extended Aubrey Barker Road which connects to the Ogle highway. A very strategic location, it’s in Cummings Lodge, and that will now allow us to develop a full-fledged education institution that we don’t have to retrofit,” he explained.
“Some of the current facilities that we are utilizing had to be retrofitted, but with where the country is going, I think the time is right and ripe for such an investment: that we actually set up a facility from the ground, fully focused on developing the level of STEM education that Guyana will need,” Doerga explained.
Additionally, Executive Director of EduLink, David Akdemir, explained the scope of his company and what it can offer. For instance, he explained, EduLink has a very strong track record of producing STEM graduates, and have been looking for overseas partners to share its education model with.
“We are a non-profit company of Harmony Schools, which runs about 65 schools in Texas, one school in Washington DC, partners in several states and one partner school in Cairo, Egypt currently. There are 45,000 students in Texas, and 60 per cent of our graduates choose STEM fields when they graduate. That is because we can integrate STEM education starting at kindergarten.”
The IBC, which was organized by the Guyana-Suriname Chamber of Commerce with support from the Suriname Investment and Trade Agency (SITA), the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), offers a platform for locals to pool their resources, strengthen collective capabilities, and elevate the Caribbean’s standing in the global market.
With high-level discussions, targeted networking opportunities, and avenues for foreign investment, the IBC is set to play a crucial role in advancing regional development and fostering new business partnerships in real estate, infrastructure, mining, industrial services and tourism. (G3)