The long-serving GTI got a huge boost yesterday when a $200m technical centre largely funded by former student Ken Subraj was handed over.
The Ken Subraj- Zara Technical Centre was handed over to the institute yesterday via a public-private partnership between the government and the New York-based philanthropist Ken Subraj.
Through this partnership, some $180 million was donated by the ZARA/ Subraj with the Ministry of Education contributing $20 million for the realisation of the building which features several multipurpose classrooms, a special oil and gas classroom and laboratory, a recreation hall, and administrative offices.
Government Technical Institute (GTI) Principal Renita Crandon-Duncan in her remarks at the ceremony thanked the foundation for the donation and noted that it was timely given the fact that Guyana’s economic landscape was growing exponentially.
“GTI continues its quest to ensure that quality training is provided for all citizens of Guyana; regardless of race, creed, socio-economic status, and more importantly, gender. Today, with a population of over 1,900 students, this sizeable donation of a spanking new state-of-the-art facility, equipped with all modern amenities, including an elevator will aid the differently abled students and will house the engineering students among so many others. Therefore, it is indeed timely”, she said.
Mechanical Engineer-ing, Civil Engineering, Science, and Land Survey-ing, are now the most lucrative programmes with the growth of the oil and gas sector and with such growth, Duncan said, the demand to become qualified is high, knowing the importance of such skills in the sector.
However, she cautioned that because of this demand, with GTI being the premier learning institution in the country, the pressure remains high, as such, the principal called to ask for more teachers and that the part-time rates be revised since the population is growing and there is a need for more teachers.
“Our population of students has increased, and there is a need for qualified and experienced teachers to carry out the mandate of imparting skills and know-ledge. Therefore, it is paramount that these skilled personnel, who are investing in the training of our students are adequately compensated. Please, Minister [Minister of Education] could you please revise the part-time rates? We would want to retain the best to teach our future leaders.”
Principal Duncan also thanked Subraj, 82, for his donation and urged other alumni to support the growth of GTI, especially when the school introduces the associate degree programmes, increases the population, extends the campus, and increases partnership.
The building boasts several multipurpose classrooms, a special oil and gas classroom, laboratory, a recreation hall and administrative offices, according to the Ministry of Education.
In an interview with the Sunday Stabroek last year, Subraj had said “I would like this project to be as useful as [GTI] has been for a lot of students who came out of GTI,” Subraj said. “I know I was a very good student after I come out of GTI. It helped me a lot and if this building can serve the community, serve the Guyanese students and they take it very seriously and move on to do various development for themselves; definitely they would get a professional job and stay in Guyana to help out the Guyanese people.”
While the donation was made under his charitable foundation, Subraj said Zara, and more specifically he, had been pushing for the project for many years.
“I don’t know why it took so long. I don’t know who is to be blamed… but it took 15 years to get it off the ground and I hope now that it is off the ground that it would get going,” he disclosed to this newspaper.
