$50M budgeted for new Amerindian hostel in city

A $50M hostel has been planned for hinterland students pursing education in Georgetown, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said in a press release.

The cost of the hostel has been included in the 2008 budget titled ‘Staying the course: Advancing the Transformation Agenda’. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Emile McGarrel said the hostel will facilitate education for students from outlying areas who may be staying with guardians in the city.

It will also allow more Amerindian students the opportunity to move to the city to obtain new skills.

The hostel will accommodate students attending the Carnegie School of Home Economics, the Government Technical Institute, the Guyana Industrial Training College, President’s College and other schools.

GINA said House Parents will man operations at the hostel while the ministry will provide the students’ basic needs.

The release also noted that an Amerindian hostel was established on Princes Street to house persons from remote areas who had been referred to the city for medical treatment.

Meanwhile, GINA said the budget also caters for the continuation of the school uniform and feeding programmes in the hinterland areas.