GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) 鈥� Guyana鈥檚 government has launched an online school expected to boost the education of thousands of students in the s vast and largely impoverished Amazonian regions and the wider Caribbean.
More than 30,000 local and regional students have already enrolled in the Guyana Digital School, which offers high school courses but expects to expand its curriculum next year.
鈥淭his is a program that will provide real quality education for students in the entire country simultaneously, covering all subject areas. We are also providing free access to our Caribbean neighbors, and we noted that people even from India are logging on. This will be a game changer for education delivery in Guyana,鈥� Deputy Chief Education Officer Ritesh Tularam told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Basic subjects including science, technology and the humanities are available to students 鈥渨ho no longer have to go to a physical school to get an education,鈥� he said.
Guyanese President announced the program late Friday, saying it will allow students to learn with high quality digital tools.
Tularam said some may question why the government is investing so heavily in digitization.
鈥淭he future of the world will be digital. The future of the economy will be digital, and the future of work will be digital,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are not investing to be fashionable; we鈥檙e not investing to please consultants; we鈥檙e not investing to follow global trends blindly; we鈥檙e investing because this is where global opportunity is being created.鈥�
The school is not designed to eliminate physical classrooms in Guyana, where the state education system is free.
Earlier this year, announced the resumption of a free university education, which had been paused since the mid-1990s. Officials have said that the country鈥檚 newly found wealth allows for since nearly $10 million flows to the treasury daily from its oil sector.
The new digital school was welcomed by leaders across the Caribbean who praised Ali鈥檚 initiative.
鈥淲hether it is in the coastlands or hinterlands of Guyana, whether it is in Barbados or St. Kitts or St. Lucia, we want to ensure our children have that ability to learn at their fingertips,鈥� Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said.
Meanwhile, Grenada鈥檚 prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, said he has already instructed his education minister to ensure they are actively participating in the new digital school.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
