Air quality test completed, ministry awaiting results

Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, said on Monday that his ministry was awaiting the results of an air quality test done at the University of Guyana and once it signals that the air is free of asbestos, staff members would return to the institution and classes would resume.

The minister, speaking at a press conference at his office, said the air quality test had been completed and the result was expected later this week.

“We would move very quickly if it shows that the air is free of asbestos,” Baksh said. “We would request the university to move expeditiously… back into the campus and to have classes resume as soon as possible.”

However, the minister said he could not give a date for the resumption of classes. If the air was not free of asbestos, he said, “we would have to work out some contingency… We would deal with that as it comes along. But I am hoping within the next two to three days we would get the results and we would go through the procedure…”

Stabroek News was told last week that initially when the team began testing the air quality at the institution the testers had to leave after they found asbestos material on the ground.

This newspaper understands that the issue of the asbestos on the ground was dealt with and the team returned to the university and conducted the test.

The ministry hired A&E Consultancy following repeated requests by the UG Asbestos Technical Committee for the air quality to be tested before classes resumed.

There is another bone of contention: lacquering the floors of the affected buildings, which sources had told this newspaper was necessary to hold down unseen fibres. Sources had indicated to this newspaper that the ministry had staunchly opposed the lacquering of the floors and was only in favour of painting the walls, which had already begun. “But it is important that the floor be lacquered so that any asbestos fibres that may be present will be pasted down and not affect anyone,” a source said yesterday.

Asked on Monday if there were any plans to lacquer the floors of the affected buildings, the minister said: “Well I wouldn’t be able to say at this point in time. I doubt it very much now. As long as the air quality is an acceptable level, I don’t think we would be dealing with that at this point in time.”