The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) says that while it cannot immediately provide free education at the University level – should it win the March 2, 2020 polls – it is examining an interim solution which will involve student debtors volunteering their services in exchange for loan write-offs.
Making this disclosure on behalf of the party was its leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, who during a news conference hosted at his Church Street office earlier today, said that the Party is actively considering this course of action.
“We did the assessment and we can’t afford it (free tertiary education) from year one, and we’re not going to make any promise that we can’t do…But we’ll definitely have it within the five years. But we want to promise those students, who already have a loan outstanding, that they must have a pathway to getting the loans written off too. So, we were thinking about a menu of ways how this could happen,” he said.
Jagdeo noted that debtors providing services in exchange for loan write-offs will bring benefits to the State while lessening the financial burden on graduates.
“They can volunteer some of your time – maybe four months [or] six months of your time – to teach others about the use of computers or any subject, then you get your loan written off. If you’re working in the public service and you have the loan, then maybe in the afternoon hours you spend like two hours…That’s your pathway to getting your loan written off. So, the State gets back some service from people, and they get their loans written off,” he said.
Jagdeo noted too, that should his Party emerge victorious at the polls, it will set measures in place to ensure that private educational institutes get tax-free benefits.
“I’ve already mentioned about the tax-free status we will give to private education from nursery all the way to university. The same thing for the health sector providers – the labs and the others that are working and incorporated into companies,” he noted.
Article 27 of the Constitution of Guyana states: “Every citizen has the right to a free education from nursery to university,”
It was the PPP/C that deviated from this provision. Jagdeo told the Guyana Standard at his press conference several weeks ago that the circumvention was made at a time when Guyana was reeling in economic hardships.
