Parag slams WIN MP for criticising GOAL programme that funded his studies

Minister of Education Sonia Parag on Monday accused We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Gordon Barker of hypocrisy during the opening of the Budget Debates, alleging that he criticised the government’s Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) even as he has benefited from free degrees under the programme.

Delivering his maiden speech on the National Assembly floor, Dr. Barker described the government’s GOAL programme, which offers free tertiary level online scholarships to all Guyanese as a “potential atrocity”. However, according to Parag, Dr. Barker has handsomely benefited from the very programme he criticises.

“You never ever bite the hand that you feed from,” Parag quipped, pointing to what she described as clear hypocrisy.

“The Honourable member would have earned his qualifications that he stands in this National House so proudly of from the GOAL programme that he is fighting.The Honourable member stood there and talked about the atrocity of this programme, but the Honourable member got his degree from the Jain Deemed-to-be University on the GOAL programme. Shocking. And moved on to a PhD on the GOAL. Extremely shocking.”

Dr. Barker introduced himself as the Shadow Minister of Education, seemingly taking over the role from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP, Coretta McDonald. McDonald delivered her speech just after Dr. Barker as the three parties on the Opposition benches continue to navigate internal arrangements in the sharing of the opposition’s 29 parliamentary seats.

Parag described Dr. Barker and McDonald as “two shadows who gave unimpressive presentations.”

She also countered Dr. Barker’s criticism with facts and statistics about the GOAL programme, reminding that over 54,000 Guyanese had been awarded scholarships under the initiative between 2021 – 2025, with some 6000 Guyanese graduating with various degrees and certificates in 2025.

The government-established GOAL programme is an online education initiative launched in 2021 as part of Guyana’s broader agenda to expand access to tertiary and skills-based learning. It partners with local and international universities and institutions to offer a wide range of programmes, including certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s, postgraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees to Guyanese learners through flexible, online delivery. The programme aims to make quality education accessible to citizens across the country. To date, the programme has far exceeded its original target of 20,000 scholarships.