Abstract:

This paper examines the allocation and impact of oil and gas revenues on rural infrastructure in Guyana within the period of 2021 to 2024. Guyana began oil production in 2019, and this has resulted in an expansion of its fiscal capacity exponentially. A significant chunk of the revenue has been devoted towards improving educational outcomes and quality in rural areas. This study evaluates budgetary allocations, assessing infrastructure developments along with education access and performance in Region 5. Using a quantitative method approach, document analysis and structured questionnaires were used to gather data from 260 educators in a full enumerative sample, and SPSS was used for analysis. Cronbach's Alpha (α = 0.81), expert review, and triangulation using secondary documents were used to confirm reliability. The findings have shown a marginal increase in budgetary allocations, and considerable improvement in school infrastructure. However, there has been marginal progress relative to educational outcome but this is marred with the issue of disparities in implementation. Furthermore, prudent monitoring is cited as a challenge in the realization of intended benefits. This paper offers several key recommendations including but not limited to improving coordination, effective stakeholder engagement, and a commitment to increasing accountability and transparency. These can potentially maximize the impact of oil and gas revenue in this sector.

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