The Guyana Learning Channel (GLC) is a network of six digital educational television channels and one analog in

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

owned by the Guyana Learning Channel Trust, which, in turn, is owned by the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. The channels broadcast mainly educational programs; feature films are also broadcast in prime time, followed by a repeat of the daytime schedule.

History

The Ministry of Education announced the creation of GLC on September 16, 2010, and launched it on April 1, 2011, initially with the bulk of its programming coming from abroad, being criticized for the lack of relevant local content. A five-year contract with Television Guyana was signed in 2010 to carry the signal nationwide by satellite. Around May, its signal expanded to Berbice on channel 3, fed by satellite, prone to periodic interruptions. Beginning in June 2016, the channel started carrying "programmes of national interest", among them being agricultural programs. As of 2013, it had owned 20 satellite dishes, 16 dish stands, 17 antennas, 17 receivers and installation by means of nearly $7 million coming from TVG. In 2020, GLC's coverage area in the hinterland increased significantly, enabling its wide coverage in areas with limited internet reach. From April 2021, it was made available in Region Nine. In June 2021, the channel premiered ''Whiz Kids'' to prepare Grade Six students for the National Assessment. On September 16, 2023, the network premiered ''The Amazing World of Cho'', a local animated series featuring a girl from the hinterland.

Network

As of June 2024: Analog stations: * Georgetown: channel 28 *

Port Kaituma Port Kaituma is a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of Guyana. It became known internationally as a gateway village to the Peoples Temple settlement in nearby Jonestown. It has long been a hub for mining in the area. ...

: channel 10 * Essequibo: channel 10 *

Mabaruma Mabaruma is the administrative centre and regional capital for Region One (Barima-Waini) of Guyana. It is located close to the Aruka River (the Venezuelan border) on a narrow plateau above the surrounding rainforest at an elevation of 13 metres. ...

: channel 3 * Bartica: channel 3 *

Orealla Orealla (or Orealla Mission) is an Indigenous community in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region of Guyana, on the Courantyne River, approximately south of Crabwood Creek and north of Epira, located at , altitude 11 metres. south-east on the ...

: channel 10 * Corentyne: channels 3 and 24 *

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

: channel 3 * Linden: channel 10 *

Kwakwani Kwakwani is a mining and logging village on the Berbice River in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region of Guyana. Its altitude is 44 metres (147 feet). Kwakwani is approximately 100 km south of Linden, Guyana, Linden. In 1942, the Berbice Bau ...

: channel 10 * Ituni: channel 3 * Lethem: channel 5 * Annai: channel 5 *

Karasabai Karasabai is an indigenous village of Macushi Amerindians in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. It is located in the South Pakaraima Mountains, and near the Ireng River which flows south to the Amazon River. Legend According ...

: channel 3 *

Aishalton Aishalton is an Amerindian village that is situated in the Rupununi savannah of southern Guyana, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region (Region 9) of the country. It is the administrative centre for the southern sub-district of Region 9. In 2 ...

: channel 3 *

Mahdia Mahdia ( ') is a Tunisian coastal city with 76,513 inhabitants, south of Monastir, Tunisia, Monastir and southeast of Sousse. Mahdia is a provincial centre north of Sfax. It is important for the associated fish-processing industry, as well as w ...

: channel 3 Digital stations: *GLC Elementary , DTV CH 24-32 *GLC Elevate , DTV CH 24-36 *GLC Discover , DTV CH 24-40 *GLC Plus , DTV CH 24-44 *GLC Teen , DTV CH 24-48 *GLC Jr. , DTV CH 24-52

Cable Availability

* Atlantic Cable: ** GLC TV - Channel 8 * ENet: ** GLC TV – Channel 9 ** GLC Jr. – Channel 10 ** GLC Elementary – Channel 11 ** GLC Teen – Channel 12 ** GLC Plus – Channel 13 ** GLC Discover – Channel 14 ** GLC Elevate – Channel 15 *Air Link TV Guyana ** GLC TV - Channel 4 *Northwest TV ** GLC TV

Criticism and controversies

Lack of local programming

Since the beginning, GLC was heavily dependent on foreign programming, with its local output being heavily limited. In its first few weeks on air, such output largely consisted of brief segments, such as one where schoolchildren sang Guyanese patriotic songs. The channel at the time also lacked efficient methods of contacting, such as a lack of website and phone number.

Quality of local programming

On the night of September 24, 2014, a program about maths was criticized in a letter to

Stabroek News The ''Stabroek News'' is a privately owned newspaper published in Guyana. It takes its name from ''Stabroek'' , the former name of Georgetown, Guyana. It was first published in November 1986, first as a weekly but it later changed to a daily pri ...

where the teacher used a flip chart which, according to the complaint, failed to convey its subject matter effectively.

Swearing controversy

The channel was put into hot water by Guyanese netizens on October 12, 2020, after airing a video called "English Abbreviations", in which the swear word

fuck ''Fuck'' () is profanity in the English language that often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested ...

(as in the expression "what the fuck") was repeated eight times. The channel apologized for the airing of the video and an investigation was launched.

Programming

Note: This list only contains foreign animated series and not local programming.

GLC Digital Channels

* Bluey *

Blue's Clues ''Blue's Clues'' is an American interactive educational television, educational children's television series created by Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler, and Angela Santomero, Angela C. Santomero. It premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block ...

(original) *

Curious George Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written and illustrated by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original ...

Dragon Tales ''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational Fantasy fiction, fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker, developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser, and pr ...

Little Einsteins ''Little Einsteins'' is an American Animated series, animated children's television series developed by Douglas Wood (writer), Douglas Wood and based on the Baby Einstein line of videos. Produced by The Baby Einstein Company (at the time owned ...

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001. It was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. Its original incarnation, the se ...

Octonauts ''Octonauts'' is an animated children's television series, produced by Chorion in series 1 and Silvergate Media starting from series 2 for the BBC channel CBeebies. It is based on the children's books written by Meomi, the design team of Vic ...

Peep and the Big Wide World ''Peep and the Big Wide World'' is an Animated series, animated children's television series, preschool television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover ...

Paw Patrol ''Paw Patrol'' is a Canadian children's animated television series created by Keith Chapman and produced by Spin Master, Spin Master Entertainment, with animation provided by Guru Studio. In Canada, the series is primarily broadcast on TVOntario ...

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

Sid the Science Kid ''Sid the Science Kid'', also known as ''Jim Henson's Sid the Science Kid'', is an American children's animated educational television series produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with PBS affiliate KCET, that aired on PBS Kids from ...

Super Why! ''Super Why!'' is an animated superhero preschool educational television series created by Angela Santomero and developed by Santomero and Samantha Freeman Alpert for PBS Kids. Santomero and Alpert additionally serve as executive producers al ...

* ''

The Magic School Bus ''The Magic School Bus'' is an American edutainment media franchise which includes a book series, TV adaptations, a streaming series, and various video games. Each of the stories within the franchise focuses on the antics of the fictional ...

'' (original) *

Wild Kratts ''Wild Kratts'' (French: ''Les Frères Kratt'') is an educational children's television series that uses a hybrid of live action and animation. The series was created by the Kratt brothers, zoologists Chris and Martin, and produced by The Kratt ...

* Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum

GLC Analog

Blaze and the Monster Machines ''Blaze and the Monster Machines'' is an animated children's television series. It premiered on Nickelodeon on October 13, 2014. The show revolves around Blaze, a monster truck, and his human driver, AJ, as they have adventures in Axle City and ...

Cyberchase ''Cyberchase'' is an animated series, animated science fantasy children's television series that airs on PBS Kids. The series centers around three children from Earth: Jackie, Matt and Inez, who are brought into Cyberspace, a digital universe, i ...

Team Umizoomi ''Team Umizoomi'' is an American live-action animated musical preschool children's television series created by Soo Kim, Michael T. Smith, and Jennifer Twomey, and developed by Teri Weiss for Nickelodeon and the Nick Jr. Channel. Twomey and ...

* ''

'' (original) * ''The Magic School Bus'' (reboot) *

WordWorld ''WordWorld'' is an American animated children's television series based on the books and the wooden puzzles of the same name. The series was created by Don Moody, Jacqueline Moody, Peter Schneider and Gary Friedman, it was produced by Word Wo ...

References

{{Television in Guyana Television stations in Guyana Television channels and stations established in 2011 2011 establishments in Guyana Educational and instructional television channels