UG engineering programmes launched on Essequibo Coast

The University of Guyana (UG) is now offering its civil and mechanical engineering programmes on the Essequibo Coast, operating out of the Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI) in Anna Regina, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
According to the Education Ministry, a landmark orientation was hosted for 20 inaugural students, who completed their first semester at the Turkeyen Campus and will now continue their studies closer to home. The programme is expected to officially commence on February 24.
Tuesday’s orientation was conducted by a team led by Dr Kofi Dalrymple, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at UG and the Education Ministry’s Advisor on Education Reform.

The expansion is part of an initiative by President Irfaan Ali to decentralise key social services and increase access to higher education across the country.
In September 2025, the initiative was first outlined as a response to an overflow of applicants following the government’s decision to make tuition at UG free. During a visit to ETI on September 27, 2025, Education Minister Sonia Parag said at least 40 students from Region Two who were unable to secure placement at UG would be accommodated at the institute under a new arrangement.

Parag had explained that the surge in applications exceeded the university’s capacity, leaving a number of students without spaces. Meanwhile, Dr Dalrymple had highlighted longstanding challenges faced by students in Region Two who must travel to attend classes at Turkeyen. He said many students are required to travel by boat and road, often over long distances, which has contributed to some discontinuing their programmes.
He had stated that the President’s initiative aims to reduce those barriers by bringing programmes closer to students’ communities while maintaining academic standards. He emphasised that engineering programmes must continue to meet accreditation requirements and that facilities and staffing at ETI must align with those standards.