Remedied Kato Secondary School looking for September completion
DPI/GINA, Monday, June 12, 2017
An assessment of “what needs to be remedied to date” at the poorly constructed Kato Secondary School will be undertaken during the course of this week.
Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Education, Vibert Welsh, today told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the contractor, that initially botched the construction of the school will be travelling to Kato, Region Eight with a consultant to undertake the assessment.
“We’re at the stage where the contractor has agreed to undertake all the remedial works but there is the consultant to do a reassessment to date,” PS Welsh told the PAC in Parliament chambers.
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has retained the services of an independent consultant from Guyana Association of Professional Engineers (GAPE) to detail the works needed to be done. The consultant was identified, earlier in February, when the Ministers of Public Infrastructure, Education and Social Cohesion visited the school to conduct an assessment.
The $1B Kato Secondary School was built under the previous administration to facilitate students in the region who travel long distances to access secondary level education. However, due to the substandard work done by the contractor it has not been occupied.
Meanwhile, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcel Hutson told the Department of Public Information/Government Information Agency (DPI/GINA) that remedial works are being scheduled for completion in time for the September term.
“The situation is our children are overcrowded and we need to have that school up and running by September for maximum impact,” the CEO said during an exclusive interview with DPI/GINA.
By: Tiffny Rhodius
The Kato Secondary School which was poorly constructed.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Vibert Welsh, appearing before the Parliamentary Affairs Committee.
Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson.