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GOAL expanding partnerships to offer more programmes for students
Kaieteur News- The Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) said it is actively expanding its list of partners to ensure students can continue their studies in programmes previously offered through Staffordshire University.
Director of GOAL, Professor Jacob Opadeyi
This move comes after GOAL severed ties with the International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC) and Staffordshire University after students raised concerns regarding the unavailability of programmes they had enrolled in through the university.
Director of GOAL, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, provided an update on the situation via the institution’s Facebook page on Sunday, addressing the ongoing issue. During the update, Opadeyi stated that the institution had provided students the opportunity to select other universities that have partnered with GOAL stating, “As of this afternoon, over 1900 has selected universities that they have wished to go to.” However, he noted that some students have contacted the institution saying that the current 19 partner universities do not offer programmes that Staffordshire University had provided.
“For some who cannot see the programmes they wanted in other universities, it is our duty to find partners who can offer those programmes. We have some who have indicated what they want to do and some have written to us saying that the partners we have, do not offer the programmes that they want to do and we are trying within our best to find partners who can offer those programmes within the shortest possible time,” Professor Opadeyi said.
To assist affected students, GOAL has kept the registration process open, even beyond the initial deadline, through Google Forms for those wishing to select alternative universities. Opadeyi noted that, so far, students have not encountered issues in enrolling with new partners. “I am delighted to note that our students who are currently registered with our 19 partners, none of them has had any issues. GOAL will continue to ensure that the quality of our offerings meet international standards and our students need not to be worried about that,” he said.
Meanwhile, during his address, Opadeyi maintained that GOAL has done its due diligence. He said, “It is unforgivable for an incident like this to be turned into an issue as if GOAL did not do its due diligence. IDSC failed in its obligation to inform us that they have a problem with Staffordshire.”
Opadeyi also expressed frustration and disappointment over the University not informing him of the ongoing issue stating, “Staffordshire who has written to me as far back as 2024, knew of my address, know of my email and did not use the opportunity to inform us. We are also very displeased that these matter meets the newspaper before we knew anything. These old issues have to do with IDSC not being straightforward with us by letting us know that the agreement that they have with university of Staffordshire has been tangible. So we have learnt our lesson and we have severed our ties with IDSC.”
Despite the challenges, Opadeyi reassured that the institution is “not playing games” with its students and urged students to not be discouraged from applying with GOAL. “I want to assure you that we are not playing games with the life of people and we are not playing games with the amount of investments that the government has put into its education. Please don’t let this news affect your ambition to study in an accredited university and when we talk about accreditation, you can take your degree whether it’s from UNICAF, Zambia, Uganda… your degree will be accredited and accepted by other universities.” Opadeyi also highlighted the positive impact of GOAL’s initiatives, revealing that over 2,000 students are expected to graduate this year. He further noted that GOAL had received more than 10,000 applications for 2025, with over 9,000 students already deemed eligible. Additionally, the institution is reaching out to people in remote areas to assist them with applying for scholarships.
(GOAL expanding partnerships to offer more programmes for students)
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