Yesterday, I met a former student whom I taught several MBA courses. He has already completed his MBA and is now pursuing another bachelor’s degree and a master’s through the GOAL scholarship. I asked him why. Quite frankly, I said to him that he is misallocating time. He should have proceeded directly to a PhD through GOAL. He admitted that by the time he realized this, he was already far advanced in the master’s programme.
This is precisely the issue.
It is a misallocation of time, energy, and resources to accumulate multiple degrees without a clear, strategic purpose. At most, one master’s degree—complemented, where relevant, by a PhD—is sufficient. Even that pathway is not universally necessary unless one intends to pursue academia, international institutions, think tanks, or quasi-academic career tracks.
To be clear, the issue is not education. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀.
There are legitimate cases where additional qualifications are justified—particularly where they are complementary and strategically aligned (for example, finance paired with law, or engineering with project management). However, repeated accumulation of similar or low-value degrees adds little incremental value and delays entry into productive economic activity.
Guyana today presents a fundamentally different economic reality—one defined by expanding opportunity. The binding constraint is no longer access to education; it is 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥.
The imperative for young people, therefore, is not credential accumulation—it is value creation.
I would strongly encourage youngsters who are benefiting from the educational opportunities available through the system to focus on monetizing their education. Do not fall into the trap of perpetual academic accumulation. If competitiveness is the objective, then the optimal blend is clear: combine academic qualifications with professional credentials, and then focus on practice—deepening technical competence, building experience, and converting knowledge into economic value.
From a policy standpoint, this also raises a critical issue.
The Government of Guyana should review the structure and utilization of GOAL, as well as broader tertiary education access through the University of Guyana. What we are observing is not simply an educational trend—it is an 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
State-sponsored education is funded by scarce national resources. When those resources are disproportionately absorbed by individuals repeatedly pursuing additional degrees—without corresponding increases in productivity—it represents a rising opportunity cost. Those same resources could be redirected to individuals who have not yet accessed tertiary education, or extended strategically to Guyanese in the diaspora who wish to contribute to national development.
We must avoid cultivating a culture of perpetual students—individuals who remain in continuous study without transitioning into meaningful economic engagement.
At a macro level, this reflects underutilization of human capital.
At a micro level, it delays income generation, skill application, and wealth creation.
Accordingly, I am of the firm view that eligibility criteria under GOAL—and similarly at the University of Guyana—should be structured more efficiently. This does not require blunt restriction, but rather smarter allocation.
A more optimal framework would include:
• Full funding for first degrees
• Conditional funding for second degrees, where they are complementary and strategically aligned
• Limited or no public funding for repeated or duplicative advanced degrees
Beyond a certain point, further academic pursuits should be self-financed.
Those who insist on unnecessarily decorating their CVs with multiple degrees should bear that cost privately.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Guyana does not have an education problem—it has a 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.
The marginal value of another degree is often far lower than the marginal value of applied skill, execution, and enterprise. The national priority must therefore shift from credential accumulation to productivity, innovation, and economic participation.
Education is a tool—not an end in itself.
The objective is not to study indefinitely, but to build, produce, and contribute meaningfully to the country’s development.
That is the standard we must now set.