UG commissions $2 and Maintenance Div
The University of Guyana on Friday commissioned a new building for its Facilities and Maintenance Division which was financed by the Ministry of Education at a cost of $26M.
Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry said that re-building Guyana’s education facilities and infrastructure is a priority for the Government of Guyana.
According to a release from the Ministry of Education, she said “Some may say that such a facility would not directly impact on the academic development and performance of the University but it must be recognized that such a facility will improve the efficiency of campus operations.”
She said that maintenance has long been identified as a sore point in the country’s development. With this new building, Henry expressed her strong belief that the quality of service provided by the University to its students and staff will improve to make the working and studying environment more accommodating.
According to Registrar of the University, Nigel Gravesande the Facilities and Maintenance Division has been in operation for more than four decades. He said that it began on the Turkeyen Campus as part of the Bursary Department under the supervision of the Bursary and to date, it is still seen as an important part of the Bursary.
He added that the department has expanded over the years to meet the maintenance needs and challenges at both the Turkeyen and Tain campuses.
According to the release, Gravesande added that in recent times the facilities at the Institutes of Distance and Continuing Education in Essequibo, Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Linden have expanded the need in areas of carpentry, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, estates, grounds, transport, custodial and buildings.
The Registrar added that although the Government of Guyana funded the construc-