Designs for new hinterland scholarship students dorm presented to ministers

Plans to construct a new dormitory in Georgetown to accommodate tertiary level students of the Hinterland Scholarship Programme may soon become a reality, as engagements with contractors have begun.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, senior minister Sydney Allicock along with junior minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe recently engaged officials from Kalitech Inc Engineering Design and Supervisory Consultants, which is tasked with completing the design of the building that will be located in the compound of the current student dormitory at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Coming out of the meeting, both ministers expressed satisfaction with the design presented to them.

“The new wing to accommodate students from the hinterland is now at a higher level with the completion of the draft, the estimates and agreeing upon the design which I’m very pleased with. There’s just… a few additional components such as the walls to be of wood and cupboards in the building and to use better roofing material rather than zinc; we could probably could have tar shingles put there, something that could last for the next 30 years,” Allicock was quoted as saying.

The minister noted that emphasis should be placed on the roofing since efforts in becoming a green Guyana remain at the forefront, and moving in that direction will ensure this is achieved, the statement said.

Though the new building will cater for the current student population of 125, the minister said adjustments can be made to accommodate more, if the need arises.

“… This building is expected to be completed by the end of this year, so I am very happy that eventually we will be able to have this facility that is so badly needed for the education of our young people to help us build this beautiful nation,” the release quoted Allicock as saying.

Similarly, Garrido-Lowe expressed confidence in the design being one that will meet the needs of the students who will be housed there.

According to the statement, the facility will boast male and female self-contained rooms to accommodate one hundred and twenty students, living quarters for a dorm Mother and a dorm father, a unique water storage system and recreational area among other amenities.

Over the past ten years, an estimated 600 students have benefited from hinterland scholarships to attend a number of tertiary institutions, including the Georgetown Technical Institute (GTI), Carnegie School of Home Economics, the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) and the Guyana Industrial Technical Centre (GITC) both resident and non-resident.

Additionally, scholarships were offered to hinterland students’ attending the University of Guyana in 1986. However, since the Public Service Ministry offers scholarships to students desirous of attending university, a decision was taken in 2000 not to sponsor these students but to have them apply for those scholarships.

“Building an educated nation remains a high priority for this government, thus the drive to ensuring youth particularly from the hinterland receive a well-rounded education,” the minister posited, according to the statement.