Higher Education in Guyana

The Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), the Schools of Nursing (Georgetown, New Amsterdam), Critchlow Labour College and Kuru Kuru Cooperative College are the principal colleges in Guyana.

CPCE
Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) was established by law in the 19th Century to train primary school teachers; today, its main campus is at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown with centres at New Amsterdam and Linden, Rose Hall, Anna Regina, Vreed-en-Hoop and provides two and three-year programmes for nursery, primary and secondary teachers, the programmes are in-service and pre-service.

Schools of Nursing (Georgetown, New Amsterdam)
These institutions provide basic training for nursing assistants, professional nurses, as well as midwifery.

Critchlow Labour College
The Critchlow Labour College was established in 1967as the educational arm of the trade Union Movement. It provides pre-university courses in Industrial Relations, business, sociology and a CXC programme for school leavers who need to obtain those qualifications. It has plans to introduce associate degrees but has postponed that initiative because of funding problems.

Kuru Kuru Cooperative College
Kuru Kuru Cooperative College is accredited by the University of Guyana and the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions. This institution lists its main aim as that of providing training on all aspects of cooperative business.

Music Studies
Guyana is home to many unique music traditions, but despite its importance for cultural heritage, music has tended to receive minimal support in schools. Music studies are offered as part of teacher training at CPCE, and a fledgling National School of Music was opened in 2012.

Other Colleges
Apart from these state-owned institutions there are private institutions such as The International University-Guyana which offer training in accountancy, business and computing among other fields.

The University of Guyana
The University of Guyana in Guyana is the major university that operates on two campuses, Tain (Berbice) and Turkeyen (Demerara). It was established in 1963 after Guyana expressed its preference for a local university given the costs associated with Guyanese students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) and other universities.

It provides a professional education in many areas, but students who want to pursue training in fields such as anthropology, astronomy or librarianship must travel abroad or pursue distance studies. Students who cannot afford university tuition fees may take a student loan from the state-run student loans agency. The University of Guyana like the University of the West Indies is an associate member of CARICOM, it is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Texila American University (TAU) one of the best Caribbean Medical school is located in Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America. TAU offers Health Science programs with a high level of professionalism, exactness and problem solving skills, upon which the foundations of specialist training and an independent medical practice can be built, which facilitates further education and development of their knowledge throughout their life.