— Online school expands access, prepares youth for digital economy
His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali said that the One Guyana Digital School platform represents “one of the most transformative steps” a government has taken in delivering education beyond the limitations of geography and income. The school, the brainchild of President Ali, was launched on December 5 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) in Liliendaal.
It is celebrated as a landmark moment in Guyana’s history for advancing educational development and equipping the next generation with the tools to thrive and prosper.
President Ali called it a “gateway” to advance the digital revolution in Guyana. He reminded that the COVID‑19 pandemic illustrated the gaps in education when schools were closed.
“We cannot deny the truth: the future of education is digital. This does not mean the classrooms will disappear. It does not mean that teachers will be replaced. It does not mean that schools will become obsolete. What it means is that education will be enhanced, expanded, democratised and reinvented by digital tools.”
Through the school, the Government hopes to close the digital divide in education between the coast and the hinterland and to offer alternative pathways for learning, especially for those who cannot access traditional schooling. The overall aim is to create high‑quality digital content while empowering students with skills that match global standards.
President Ali said that the school would also support adult learners out of school, and help youths and lifelong learners strengthen the backbone of the economy.
Guyana and the Caribbean Community, he added, are equipping the next generation with the tools needed to navigate the realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including fields such as data, algorithms, automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
“The world has changed, and it is changing faster than at any time before in human history… Some may ask, why is the Government investing so heavily in digitisation? Why are we racing towards digital education, digital infrastructure, and digital services? And I will answer them simply: the future of the world will be digital. We’re investing because this is where global opportunity is being created. Digital technology is now the backbone of every major industry.”
President Ali posited that for Guyana to advance, it is necessary for the population to be educated in every domain, to deal with the complexities of the advancing world.
He said that investing in the Guyana Digital School “is our way of saying we will not wait, we will not drift, we will not watch from the sidelines. We will act, and so we are accelerating the transition to digital education, not because it is easy, but because it is necessary.”
The school blends technology, interactive online classes led by trained educators, a wide digital library, and support powered by artificial intelligence tools. It is designed to be a digital library containing all the textbooks students need for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
So far, over 20,000 students in Grades 10 and 11 have been registered.
The Guyana Digital School is supported by Jain University (India). It has been ‘live’ for several months with students from across Guyana, Barbados, Belize, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, and Montserrat attending online classes.