ExxonMobil has committed US$100 million to a new STEM initiative that directly supports President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s national agenda to transform Guyana’s education sector. This landmark investment will modernise local learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics over the next decade.

The announcement was made by ExxonMobil Chair and Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods on Monday during a dinner at State House, hosted by President Ali and First Lady Arya Ali.

“We share President Ali’s ambition in developing these resources to transform Guyana’s economy and bring enduring prosperity to its people. Education is central to this ambition and Guyana’s development plans. STEM is the foundation for every modern society. These disciplines will help to power Guyana’s success in the 21st century,” Woods said.

The programme will begin with comprehensive teacher training for secondary educators in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the University of Guyana.

The long-term plan involves the creation of a nationwide network of student STEM centers designed to provide hands-on learning for teens and young adults. The flagship physical facility is slated for completion at the University of Guyana by 2028.

In his remarks, President Ali said noted that while the physical infrastructure has a clear timeline, the training of facilitators and teachers to improve secondary school mathematics results will begin almost immediately.

President Ali characterised the new initiative as a direct outcome of bilateral engagements aimed at “leapfrogging” Guyanese society into a future defined by innovation and entrepreneurship.

“In the course of this partnership, we want to showcase to the world a development in oil and gas that is strategic in every form, one that is balanced, one that takse the environment with it in its growth and development, one that celebrates the environment in which it operates in, one in which the transformational goals of the country is realised through the revenue from the sector,” the president said.

He reiterated that a well-equipped workforce is the only way to ensure the country maintains a competitive advantage through the year 2050 and beyond.

President Ali also reaffirmed the stability of the local investment climate and the importance of trust between the government and its energy partners.

“You cannot manage a sector like this if there is no trust. I want to make it very clear and I am unapologetic about this. Exxon is our partners and we have to work and confront the opportunities of the future as partners. There is no way we’re separating ourselves from each other,” he added.

This contribution by ExxonMobil follows a similar investment in the recently commissioned Guyana Technical Training College (GTTCI) in Berbice.

President Ali’s push to transform the sector has also seen several key developments, such as the Guyana Online Academy of Learning which has already distributed tens of thousands of scholarships to citizens in every region of the country, making tertiary education more accessible.

Further, through the recently launched One Guyana Digital School initiative the government is working to provide the same high-quality curriculum and digital resources to every student regardless of location.