Tag: scholarship

Four Guyanese students awarded scholarships to study in China

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat on Monday extended heartfelt congratulations to four exceptional Guyanese students who have been awarded full scholarships to pursue Bachelor’s degrees in Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience at prestigious universities in China.

The scholarships are the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, under a capacity-building programme that also forms part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Launched in 2023, the partnership aims to strengthen Guyana’s human resource capacity in the vital oil and gas sector by investing in the country’s youth and fostering international academic cooperation.

Minister Bharrat highlighted that this initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring that Guyanese benefit directly from the country’s rapidly expanding petroleum industry, not only through revenues but also through education and skills development.

“This scholarship programme is a testament to our vision for a knowledgeable, empowered generation of leaders in natural resources and energy. I extend my best wishes to our scholars for their success and bright futures,” Minister Bharrat said.

Guyana’s energy sector has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, driven by major offshore oil discoveries and production led by international partners such as ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNOOC.

As the country moves towards becoming a major oil producer, building local capacity in petroleum engineering, geology, and related disciplines remains a top priority for the government.

New learning avenues being explored for GOAL achievers

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

The Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) is seeking to collaborate with new overseas universities as it confirmed the discontinuation of its online learning partnership with the University of Staffordshire (UoS).

The UoS is a UK-based institution that was supposedly providing academic online services to Guyana through a third-party facilitator, International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC).

The agencies are among institutions collaborating to deliver undergraduate, postgraduate degrees, and other tertiary-level education programmes to Guyanese students online.

However, a public statement yesterday said that GOAL became aware of difficulties between the two agencies in January that were negatively impacting students enrolled in their courses.

Some of these difficulties pertained to a mismatch in course offerings, access to the Learning Management System (LMS), and inaccuracies in course matrices.

GOAL noted that the issue between the two agencies worsened further, with neither of them informing Guyana of the discord, which, according to GOAL, is now seeking legal resolution. The dispute even led to UoS denying affiliation with the GOAL programme.

GOAL had noted, however, that “At no point prior to this had either institution formally notified GOAL of the breakdown in their collaboration or its implications for our scholars.”

It was explained, however, that the affected Guyanese students were provided with opportunities to transfer to other partnering universities, and that learners would receive some feedback from the local programme before the end of the week.

“Additionally,” it said, “ISDC is actively engaging five UK universities—Arden University, Queen Margaret University, University of the West of Scotland, Wrexham University, and Cardiff Metropolitan University—that are likely to accept our awardees and recognise the credits they have earned under the disrupted partnership.”

GOAL said it has transformed lives through academic and professional training, facilitated by strategic partnerships with over 20 local, regional, and international institutions, including third-party partners such as the ISDC (UK), Structuralia (Spain), UNICAF (Cyprus), and Coursera (USA), to enhance the delivery of its programmes.

These partnerships provide Guyanese students with opportunities to pursue academic programmes in diverse fields, including business, technology, healthcare, and engineering.

Between 2021 and 2024, GOAL said it awarded a total of 29,758 scholarships, with the number of scholarships granted increasing steadily each year.

Since 2022, however, GOAL has collaborated with ISDC in delivering the Get Ready for Opportunities to Work (GROW) initiative, which allowed over 4,000 Guyanese to access tertiary-level education.

GOAL has apologised to its awardees for the inconvenience and frustration caused by this situation.

Corporal Nigel Bryan: From ‘bottom house’ matches to international arena

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

Where childhood games turned into lifelong passions, a young Nigel Bryan found himself rallying a table tennis ball under the family’s bottom house.

What started as a pastime with friends and relatives quickly turned into a passion which enabled him to achieve international championships, and now, an ‘eight-week Sports Scholarship’ at Jain University in India, thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports.

The 32-year-old Corporal, who was enlisted in the Guyana Police Force in 2011, has mastered the art of balancing duty and ambition.

He’s currently stationed at the Central Immigration and Passport Office and is attached to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

But beyond his uniform, Bryan is a dedicated table tennis coach, a three-time National Men’s Champion, and a well-respected athlete, whose name is etched in Guyana’s sports history.

Early root

Bryan’s love for table tennis took root early. His years at Gamaliel Academy only strengthened his dedication to the sport under the guidance of his Physical Education teacher, Mr. Muniram Persaud.

In 2006, in his very first international competition held in Trinidad and Tobago, Bryan took centre stage with a Championship Title victory.

It was the prelude to an illustrious career, which gave him the opportunities to travel the world. Some of the places that he visited included Australia, China, Colombia, Europe, and the Caribbean countries, where he represented Guyana proudly and continuously.

Over the past 14 years, Corporal Bryan has held a national record as the youngest National Men’s Champion in Guyana. His career has also seen him compete in major events, including the Commonwealth Games, CARICOM tournaments, and the Ireland Games.

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Juggling the responsibilities of a police officer and a national athlete is no easy feat. For Bryan, the key lies in time management and dedication.

“I use most of my leisure time for training,” he shared, emphasising that discipline is what keeps him at the top of his game.

His selection for the Jain University Sports Scholarship is the fruition of years of hard work, perseverance, and exemplary performance, but beyond personal accomplishment, he sees this opportunity as a chance to inspire and uplift young athletes.

His goal is to keep table tennis alive within the Guyana Police Force in general and the nation at large, using his experience, skills, and knowledge to mentor the next generation.

Corporal Bryan has one simple yet powerful message to anyone who aspires to follow in his footsteps: “Believe in achieving your goals and ensure you motivate yourself.”

Corporal Nigel Bryan departed Guyana last Friday, February 28, 2025, to embark on this amazing chapter in his career, expanding his knowledge and abilities in the sport he loves.

His story is one of both national pride and personal success, demonstrating that anything is possible with hard work and self-belief. (???????????????????????? ???????? ????????????’???? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????)