A BRANCH of the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology will be housed at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centre in Region Three, bringing tertiary education for several aspiring civil engineers closer to home.

Speaking at a rally in Stewartville, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) on Sunday, President Ali recounted an encounter with aspiring civil engineering students who were unable to secure placements at the university.

“Some young kids came to me and they said we applied to do civil engineering at the University of Guyana, and they were told that they’re out of seats,” he said.

In response, the Head of State announced plans to create additional capacity through the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system.

“We will be building out the seats in the TVET centre and giving you the Faculty of Engineering,” President Ali declared.

Underscoring his government’s commitment to breaking down barriers to education, he added: “No longer must no be the answer for the children of our country; we will break every barrier and give them the opportunity.”

Just last week, the President had announced that the newly commissioned Tuschen Secondary School will not only serve 800 secondary students, but it will also be transformed into a branch of the University of Guyana’s College of Medical Sciences (CMS) in the evenings, providing aspiring health professionals in Region Three with access to training closer to home.

The President explained that the UG medical branch will offer over 17 programmes in medicine and allied health sciences, giving access to residents from across the Essequibo and Demerara Rivers and as far as Leguan.