Some 1,900 students affected by the fallout between the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), the International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC), and the University of Staffordshire have selected alternate universities. These institutions will allow them to continue their academic journey with credits earned from their previous studies.
This update was provided on Sunday by former University of Guyana Vice-Chancellor and GOAL Director, Professor Jacob Opadeyi.
GOAL had reported last week that it was severing ties with both the University of Staffordshire and ISDC, the third-party partner hired to streamline academic programmes from Staffordshire.
Opadeyi stated that the two entities were in dispute and failed to honour their commitment to GOAL. Additionally, none of the agencies chose to inform the academy of the disagreement, causing disruptions in some academic programmes in which local students were enrolled.
“The University of Staffordshire and ISDC decided not to honour the agreement between the two of them, and this is because ISDC was offering programmes outside of the agreement they signed with Staffordshire. The issue here is that the agreement signed in March 2024 between ISDC and the University of Staffordshire was not upheld. The unfortunate thing is that neither of these parties informed me of this disagreement until February of this year.”
Following the publication of the dispute, Opadeyi said several other university partners, from as far as Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, India, and Africa, stepped forward to offer support. Some even offered GOAL students a spot at their institutions and were willing to give them credit for the work they had already completed.
“We have provided them with the opportunity to select other universities within the GOAL partnership, and over 1,900 have selected the universities they wish to attend. For those who cannot find the programmes they want at other universities, it is our duty to find partners who can offer them those programmes.”
Opadeyi insisted that the academic journey of the affected GOAL students will not be stalled due to the issues with the disputing agencies. He expressed his disappointment that the issue between the two agencies had reached the media before GOAL was even aware of the situation, thus causing “unnecessary” and “untruthful” information to be spread in the public domain.
Opadeyi noted, however, that GOAL will continue to offer its various courses and will ensure that its services maintain international standards.
