UK intermediate education agency refunding Guyana money for troubled scholarships

Last Updated on Saturday, 14 February 2026, 1:37 by Writer

A United Kingdom (UK)-headquartered intermediate agency, the International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC), that had brokered now more than 1,000 now flopped scholarships with the publicly-funded University of Staffordshire has begun refunding the Guyana government US$1.5 million, public service minister Zulfikar Ally said on Friday.

Questioned by A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Dr Terrence Campbell about how much money was expected to be recovered, the minister replied that “It’s US$1.5 million. Some have already came in, and the difference will come back.”

Those scholarships were awarded free of cost through the Guyana Online Academy for Learning (GOAL).

Dr Ally said he was in “constant engagement” with the relevant persons and he expected that by next week “all of the money” should be refunded.

Chairman of the Committee of Supply, House Speaker Manzoor Nadir disallowed Dr Campbell’s question about how much was paid to ISDC, saying that was for 2025 and the Standing Orders say questions must be about the current year’s expenses.

Meanwhile, the Minister Ally admitted under questioning that a number of students pursuing GOAL scholarships through the Indira Gandhi University had said that they completed three years of their academic programme but had no idea about the status of their degrees.

Mr Ally said his ministry was “speaking” with the Indian High Commission. “We’ve asked for their intervention on it,” he said.

Asked by APNU’s Professor David Hinds on the number of students who had taken leave of absence with a view to restarting their programmes of study at any time within the leave granted, Mr Ally said less than five percent.

On the question of whether GOAL receives refunds from universities when students do not complete their studies, Mr Ally said only if the dropouts occur before invoices are issued but if they drop out after and it was paid, the money is credited towards another student.

The minister said the GOAL secretariat’s “continuous” review includes graduates to ascertain what they are doing and where they are employed.

The Ministry of Public Service and Government Efficiency has been allocated GY$5,7 billion for the GOAL scholarship programme in the 2026 national budget.