KATO Secondary School is expected to be connected to the Internet soon as Government has allocated a sum of $23M for the provision of Internet services to the Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) school.

The sum was awarded to IMON Wireless Solutions Inc and the service will be provided to the school for a year-long period, Minister of State Joseph Harmon told reporters on Friday during a post-Cabinet media briefing.

He said the initiative is part of a wide project in which Internet services will be provided to a number of schools in outlying areas across the county.
According to Minister Harmon, “these schools in the hinterland are outside of the government’s e-network reach and require service providers to connect them by way of broadband satellite services.”

Minister Harmon listed schools at Mabaruma, Port Kaituma, Bartica, Moruca, Aishalton, Lethem, Annai, Paramakatoi, Waramadong, Kwakwani and Mahdia which will receive Internet connectivity.

He said the broadband satellite service will be provided to the schools. The state has not indicated to the contractor which telecommunications company’s services to use.
According to Minister Harmon, a method had to be utilised to provide areas with connectivity where the e-governance services do not exist.
Meanwhile, on Friday Minister Harmon highlighted additional contracts which Cabinet “green-lighted’’ during its last two meetings.

These include contracts for the supply and delivery of one water ambulance for East Berbice-Corentyne, Region Six in which a sum of $23, 100, 00 has been awarded to K and P Project Management Company; the construction of one business incubator centre at the Lethem Industrial Estate, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) awarded to Vishal Construction to the tune of $271,378,359.00; the supply and implementation of equipment and service to upgrade the Guyana National Broadband Project of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications awarded to Huawei Technologies Company Limited to the tune of US$37,600; and the provision of nuggets learning servers, National Data Management Authority awarded to CBT Nuggets LLC to the tune of US$187,500.00.

In addition, a sum of $74,005,372.00 was awarded to NT Computeac for the implementation of a virtualised data centre at the National Data Management Authority.