Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Troubled $1B-plus Kato Secondary to now open in September
The Kato Secondary School, located in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) will be opened for the new school year beginning in September 2018.
Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry made this pronouncement yesterday as she visited the school along with Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton.
Also accompanying the ministers were senior officers within the Ministry of Education, representatives from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the Audit Office, Kares Engineering, the firm contracted to build the school, Vikab Guyana Limited, the consultancy firm that overlooked the completion of the remedial works to the building, the Regional Education Office and the Regional Democratic Council.
According to a Government statement, the high-level team toured the entire school complex to inspect the state of readiness and to highlight what additional works need to be done in order to ensure that the school is ready for a September 2018 opening.
The high-level team discussing what changes took place during the remedial works phase
The school’s opening has been delayed for almost three years now over shoddy work with the contractor, Kares Engineering, coming under fire for its work.
The project was started under the previous administration and expected to be a major improvement for Region Eight education. However, the delays were many.
Yesterday, the statement said that particular emphasis was placed on the school’s dormitory which in the past was flagged for a number of structural defects.
However, with the remedial works being completed, those pressing issues have been solved.
According to Minister Norton, it is important that the school is completed now.
He assured the Toshao of Kato, Clifton Perreira that the APNU+AFC Administration is doing everything that is possible to achieve the September 2018 opening.
Minister Norton also expressed his happiness that his colleague Minister Henry visited the school along with her officers from the Ministry of Education to understand the situation.
Minister Henry stated that the visit allowed her the opportunity to recognise some of the areas that may not have been given attention, which from a policy directive, ought to have been considered. However, she said that such matters will be addressed following some introspection within the Ministry of Education.
Toshao Perreira thanked the team for visiting the school and expressed gratitude for the commitment given to have the school opened for the new school year.
The Kato Secondary School was completed three years ago but was never commissioned since investigations revealed a number of structural defects which needed to be remedied before students and teachers could occupy the building.
It includes dormitories, among other things.
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