Nearly 90 percent access to secondary education for hinterland regions achieved – Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett

Almost 90 per cent of the hinterland population now has access to a good-quality secondary education.

This is according to Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, on Tuesday. At the time, she was responding to questions and recommendations raised at the 49th Session of the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, Switzerland.
In response to several questions raised about the accessibility of education in Guyana, Rodrigues-Birkett posited that the construction of schools and the training of more teachers have significantly expanded the country’s education programme.
“I come from an indigenous community that, just 30 years ago, had no secondary school. Today…we are constructing a number of secondary schools, and some of them would include dormitories as well,” she explained.
In 2024, a sum of $74.4 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Education for expansionary programmes. Through prudent management, 94 percent of the allotted sum was expended.
This year, the ministry has been allocated $100 billion.
“The access to education in the indigenous communities has improved tremendously, [with] close to 90 percent of access [being achieved],” the ambassador stated.
To further complement access to education in the hinterland, Government has aggressively pursued projects that aim to bridge the digital divide between coastal and rural communities.
“Already, we have had a tremendous increase in digital connectivity to our rural areas, because they were the ones who were suffering all along; and we continue to engage with several providers for additional connectivity…We realise that if the digital divide continues, we cannot speak of development in a fulsome way,” Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett has highlighted.
Guyana is among 14 nations that are earmarked to have their human rights record reviewed. This is Guyana’s fourth review, with its most recent occurrence happening in January 2020.
The UPR Working Group will adopt the recommendations made to Guyana on Friday, May 9, 2025.
Guyana’s delegation is being led by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, and includes Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Guyana to UNOG, Dr Leslie Ramsammy; Senior Research Officer in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, and other technical officials.