President of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, announced during an October 10 Parliamentary address that starting from the January 2025 semester, tuition fees will be completely abolished at the University of Guyana.
The measure is expected to benefit over 11,000 students by June 2025, costing in excess of GY$18 billion (approx. US$86 million), Ali said.
“This House should understand the importance of education and the transformative nature of education, and we must send that signal loudly to every corner of this country,” the President told the Parliament.
Ali highlighted the success of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship program, which has already benefited 29,000 students by providing online university free for Guyanese citizens at mostly foreign universities.
Guyana has built up the fiscal space to implement free university education with the support of revenue generated from oil production, which started offshore in December 2019. The government has received direct revenue from the sector through royalties and oil sales, while the oil boom has also attracted investments in other sectors, sparking an economic surge.
In 2025, the government also plans to use Guyana’s natural gas resources for power generation, slashing the cost of electricity by 50%.
