September opening for Kato Secondary School – Minister
Three years after its completion, the Kato Secondary School in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), will finally open its doors to accommodate students at the beginning of the Christmas School Term according to Education Minister Nicolette Henry.
Minister Henry visited the school on Thursday along with Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton. Also accompanying the Ministers were senior officers within the Education Ministry; representatives from the Public Infrastructure Ministry; the Guyana 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.
Education Minister Nicolette Henry inspecting the school’s plan
The high-level team toured the entire school complex and inspected 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.
Particular emphasis was placed on the school’s dormitory, which in the past was flagged for having a number of structural defects. However, with the remedial works being completed, those pressing issues have been solved.
Henry further 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.
“We have to ensure that Information Technology (IT) is paramount in terms of smart classrooms, ebooks and IT labs and the configuration of the Science labs and the Home Economics building,” Minister Henry said.
Meanwhile, Minister Norton said it is important that the school is completed while assuring Toshao Clifton Perreira that Government will do everything possible to achieve the promised September opening.
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.
