Guyana has launched a two-year teacher-training programme at the Cyril Potter College of Education to strengthen the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in secondary schools.
The Guyana STELLAR Programme—STEM Training, Education, Learning, and Leadership for Accelerated Results—began with an intensive foundation week in August 2026. It is being delivered through the wider Guyana STEM Initiative supported by ExxonMobil Guyana.
Programme structure
ExxonMobil Guyana and the Ministry of Education said the programme is designed for 60 pre-service secondary teachers. The Department of Public Information separately reported 62 students in the inaugural cohort. The available official announcements do not resolve that difference, so the exact current cohort size remains unconfirmed.
Over two years, participants are expected to receive subject-specific training, classroom support and leadership development intended to strengthen the quality of STEM instruction.
Part of a wider ten-year initiative
ExxonMobil Guyana describes the wider Guyana STEM Initiative as a US$100 million, ten-year programme. That amount applies to the broader initiative—not to the STELLAR cohort alone.
The wider initiative includes plans for two STEM centres, teacher training and certification, and other education interventions. The launch announcement did not disclose the amount allocated specifically to the STELLAR programme.
What the programme could affect
The immediate focus is teacher preparation. Any wider impact on student outcomes, workforce readiness or the supply of technical skills will depend on programme delivery, participant completion and how trained teachers are deployed across the school system.
For employers and education providers, the material questions are how many teachers complete the programme, which subjects and regions receive the additional capacity, and whether measurable improvements are reported over the two-year period.
Sources: ExxonMobil Guyana, August 24, 2026; Ministry of Education; Department of Public Information.
