The Government says it cannot give a date for the opening of the newly-constructed Kato Secondary School in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) until the building is “safe for our children”, after a review found defects to the structure. This is according to Communities Minister Ronald Bulkhan who related this to the National Assembly recently.
Bulkhan was at the time responding to a question from Opposition Member of Parliament Nigel Dharamlall on the scheduled opening date of the $1 billion educational facility.
He said that the complex is “plagued” with problems and that the Public Infrastructure Ministry was conducting a detailed assessment, following which a determination will be made as to what is to be done and when the facility can be occupied.
Meanwhile, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said that independent consultants have been dispatched to the facility to carry out a full probe as to the extent of the defects and what could be done to rectify them and make the building usable. He added that the contractual period for the construction of the facility will come to an end in June 2016.
When asked by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Priya Manickchand if Government intends to take action against the contractor, Patterson said Government is already moving in that direction.
Manickchand said if any evidence of malpractice is found, the PPP/C will throw its support behind the Government in any appropriate course of action it intends to take.
Chief Education Officer Olato Sam had said that the related human resources were ensuring that this was taken care of in time for 2016, along with other elements.
