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900 affected GOAL students contacted and offered alternative courses
Kaieteur News- After severing ties with the International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC), and the University of Staffordshire (UoS), the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) has contacted 900 out of 1,400 affected and offered alternative universities that will honour the credits obtained thus far.
900 affected GOAL students contacted and offered alternative courses
This was announced by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference at Freedom House on Thursday.
Students recently raised concerns regarding the unavailability of programmes, which they had signed up for through Staffordshire University. This prompted GOAL to part ways with the institution.
During the update, Vice President Jagdeo explained that 1,400 students were affected by the disruptions in the GOAL programme. Of those, 900 students have already been contacted by the Ministry of Education and offered alternative university programmes that will ensure their credits are maintained.
“I have asked the Ministry of Education that they must ensure that all the students who have had the issue with their recent problem that they had, be contacted. They told me that by now, 900 out of the 1400 have been contacted and they have been accepted and offered programmes from other courses and keep their credit at other institutions. They still have to contact the other 500,” Jagdeo said.
Jagdeo also addressed the decision by GOAL Director Jacob Opadeyi to sever ties with the University of Staffordshire, assuring students that they would not suffer negative consequences from the programme’s departure. “In spite of their efforts to disparage him, I strongly believe in his (Jacob Opadeyi) capabilities, [which] came from strong academic credentials. I want to ensure the students that the government will work with them to ensure they don’t suffer negative mishap there,” VP Jagdeo stated.
In a statement, GOAL emphasized that while the programme had ended its partnership with both UoS and ISDC, it remained committed to expanding access to online education for Guyanese citizens. The statement highlighted that GOAL has been transforming lives through academic and professional training, facilitated by partnerships with over 20 local, regional, and international institutions. These partnerships, which include 19 other universities, offer Guyanese students the opportunities to pursue programmes in diverse fields such as business, technology, healthcare, and engineering.
GOAL’s statement further clarified that, following the finalization of its partnership with ISDC in August 2024, approximately 1,400 Guyanese were awarded scholarships under the UoS/ISDC SQA progression pathway. However, it was not until late January 2025 that GOAL became aware of challenges affecting the delivery of academic programmes under this arrangement. The statement noted, “Multiple efforts were undertaken to address these issues, including three virtual meetings with affected students. Initially, the difficulties pertained to a mismatch in course offerings, access to the Learning Management System (LMS), and inaccuracies in course matrices. However, the situation escalated into a dispute between UoS and ISDC over the implementation of their partnership. At no point prior to this had either institution formally notified GOAL of the breakdown in their collaboration or its implications for our scholars.”
GOAL also reported that attempts to engage directly with UoS leadership were unsuccessful. “It is our understanding that legal representatives of both parties are currently negotiating a resolution. Since this dispute came to light, GOAL has provided affected scholars with opportunities to transfer to other partnering universities. Additionally, 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 recognize the credits they have earned under the disrupted partnership,” the statement concluded.
(900 affected GOAL students contacted and offered alternative courses)
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