Dear Editor,
A young person’s home region should never determine how far his or her talent can go. That is why the University of Guyana’s Regional Accelerator for STEM Students Readiness program deserves attention.
RASSR is designed to identify, mentor and support approximately 100 promising students from Guyana’s ten administrative regions. While one program cannot remove every barrier to STEM education, it demonstrates what intentional outreach can achieve when opportunities are deliberately extended beyond Georgetown.
Students in rural and hinterland communities can face additional challenges in accessing laboratories, specialized teachers, reliable technology and extracurricular STEM programs. Yet talent is not limited by geography. A student from Mabaruma, Lethem or Bartica can have the same ability and ambition as a student from Georgetown, provided that the necessary support is available.
This matters because Guyana’s economy is changing rapidly. The country will need engineers, technicians, programmers, environmental scientists, researchers and professionals in fields that may not yet exist. Artificial intelligence and other digital technologies are also reshaping industries far beyond oil and gas. Preparing young people for this future must therefore begin early.
Supported through the Greater Guyana Initiative’s partnership with the University of Guyana, RASSR helps students strengthen their STEM knowledge while building confidence, curiosity and a clearer sense of what they can achieve. Just as importantly, it allows students from different regions to learn from one another and recognize that they are part of Guyana’s wider development.
RASSR should not be seen as the complete answer. Wider progress will require properly equipped schools, trained teachers, reliable internet access, scholarships and clear pathways from secondary education to university, technical training and employment.
Guyana’s natural resources may be found offshore, but our long-term success will depend on the potential we develop onshore. Ensuring that STEM opportunities reach every region is one important step towards preparing young Guyanese to lead the industries that will shape our future.
Sincerely,
Samantha Browne
