Govt to rebuild QC from extra-budgetary sources


Stabroek News
April 24, 1999


The Government of Guyana has announced it will bear the cost of the rehabilitation of Queen's College (QC) from extra-budgetary sources.

A statement from the Guyana Information Services (GIS) yesterday noted that since a section of QC was gutted by fire a voluntary group of former students, the QC Old Students Association (QCOSA) has established a rehabilitation committee and work on restoring the building has progressed.

However, the GIS said, the government has moved in to complement the ongoing work and will tap into existing school projects for funds for the school's rehabilitation. The statement indicated that Education Minister, Dr Dale Bisnauth said in event that those projects do not yield enough funds, money will be accessed from parliament through a supplementary vote.

Earlier this month, parents and teachers of QC, upset at the non-allocation of funds for the school's rebuilding in this year's budget, had called on Bisnauth to issue a statement on what they described as government's neglect of QC.

At a meeting, senior teachers and executive members of the QC Parent Teachers Association said that Finance Minister, Bharrat Jagdeo, had promised that the government would have rebuilt the school last year. The school was heavily damaged by fire in November 1997.