Students and teachers of primary and secondary schools in the upper Corentyne area were happy to receive 15 photocopiers worth over $9 million from the Rotary Club of Corriverton on Saturday.
The digital copiers, which also have printing and scanning features, were presented to head teachers of the schools from Orealla to Eversham during a grand ceremony. The head teachers acknowledged the gesture and expressed gratitude to the club.
President of the club, Mahendra Sawh said proudly that the presentation was one of the club’s largest projects and he was happy to have it realized.
He said funding for the project was approved by the Rotary International Foundation in April 2007. The club “partnered with sister club,” St Paul Rotary Club of Minnesota, in the US in February 2007 through a “matching grant.”
Sawh thanked members of St Paul Rotary, especially Jim Field, Valdi Stefanson and Roger Nielsen “who played a pivotal role of ensuring the project was a reality.”
The president noted that members decided to apply for the funding after secondhand photocopiers that were presented to a few schools in the past did not prove to be durable.
He urged the head teachers to take special care of the devices and to ensure that they are properly maintained at all times.
According to Sawh, the copiers were purchased from the Associated Industries Limited (AINLIM) and warranty and special after-sale servicing were guaranteed by the company. In addition, he said the company also offered free operational demonstration by its technician.
Sawh indicated that Value Added Tax of almost $900,000 was paid on the copiers and that the club intends to seek a rebate from the Guyana Revenue Authority. The refund, he said, would be used to purchase a copier for another school in Berbice. Also present at the ceremony were Professor Parsaram Thakur of the University of Guyana, Berbice Campus; Attorney-at-Law Adrian Annamayah and a past member, George Baijnauth who congratulated the donors.
A member told this newspaper that he was disappointed that even though the donations were so significant, invitees including Regional Education Officer Shafiran Bhajan, Regional Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha and Minister of Education Shaik Baksh did not attend nor send a representative.
