GOAL programmes not fake; issues will be addressed – VP

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has rebutted claims that programmes offered by the Government Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) are fake.

“It’s not fake; nothing is fake,” he told media operatives during his weekly press conference on Thursday, March 06, 2025.

The VP’s comments come amid concerns about the validity of the GOAL programmes listed at the University of Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It was reported that the University has no knowledge of any agreement with the facilitator of the courses, International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC).

However, Director of GOAL, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, explained that there is new leadership at the University, which was not in favour of the agreement with ISDC.

As such, VP Jagdeo related on Thursday that the two sides will be meeting to address the issue. He said GOAL “is awaiting the completion of the meeting in London to know the way forward.”

Jagdeo said he is confident in Professor Opadeyi’s ability to deal with the issue. “He comes with a solid academic background, he was a part of the University of the West Indies before and we brought him back to run the programme. I have great faith in his ability to ensure that our people, that they get good quality education that’s not fake.”

Professor Opadeyi is also the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana.

If the University of Staffordshire does not agree to continue its agreement with ISDC, the Vice President said two other universities in the UK have committed to assist.

“I want to assure the people, we are not going to leave anybody by the wayside, this has to be resolved to their satisfaction too,” he said.

Thousands of Guyanese have enrolled in GOAL scholarships, some with the University of Staffordshire. Since its inception, many have been able to pursue their academic studies utilising the online platform.