The opposition members of parliament have come under fire once again for their criticism of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship programme, a stance that has been labeled as “extremely shocking” hypocrisy.

Minister of Education, Sonia Parag, has noted that since its launch in 2021, over 54,000 Guyanese have signed up to advance their education through the programme.

She said the initiative is a bridge for those previously hindered by cost or distance, emphasising that tertiary education is no longer a privilege reserved for those living in the capital, but a national right extending to the most remote hinterland and riverine communities.

Speaking during day 1 of the 2026 budget debates on Monday, the minister sharply illustrated the irony of the opposition’s criticism. In a pointed exchange, she revealed that a prominent member of the opposition, who had labeled the programme an “atrocity”, was himself a beneficiary, having earned his degree and currently pursuing a PhD through the GOAL scholarship platform.

“The Honorable Member earned his qualifications that he stands in this National House so proudly of… because he says doctor, and he got it from the Guyana Online Academy of Learning that he was fighting,” she declared.

Characterising the opposition’s stance as a betrayal of the very resources that provided their upward mobility, Minister Parag noted the sheer audacity of the critique. “You will never ever bite the hand that you feed from,” she remarked

The 2026 Budget outlines an even more ambitious path for the scholarship programme. The government has pledged to move toward an unlimited number of placements on the GOAL programme, ensuring that no ambitious citizen is turned away.

Minister Parag noted that just last week, over 14,000 new scholarships were awarded, covering a diverse array of disciplines from vocational certificates to master’s degrees.

Turning her attention to the school feeding programme, the education minister rebuked the opposition’s calls to scrap the funding for this vital initiative.

With $7 billion allocated to the programme, the Minister emphasised that the initiative is far more than just a fiscal line item, but a critical support system for students in the nation’s most vulnerable regions.

“Tell the little child who’s living in the hinterland and is walking to go to school… the child who’s in a rural area that they’re not going to get a meal because the opposition said that it is a horrible initiative. Tell them that because those children attend that school knowing that they will be able to have a meal,” she further challenged.

The education minister reminded that more than 340 caterers from rural and hinterland communities are currently employed to provide these meals, creating jobs and sustaining local livelihoods.

A total of $183.6 billion was set aside for the education sector, reflecting a sustained commitment to modernizing the learning environment and alleviating the financial burden on families. A significant portion of this investment, approximately $24.3 billion, is dedicated to the completion of more than 40 schools across the country.

Furthermore, the ‘Because we Care’ cash grant has been increased to $60,000 per child. When combined with the $5,000 uniform allowance and the newly introduced annual transportation support grant of $20,000, parents will receive a total of $85,000 per child, an initiative that will pump approximately $17.5 billion into the pockets of Guyanese families.

“We are not a government that will take all the oil resources, hand it out and then next week and the following week and next year you have absolutely nothing to give. You have to manage it. And that’s exactly why we [have a] budget that was carefully crafted to ensure for sustainability and prosperity of our citizens,” Minister Parag said.