… MOE signs off on six contractsTechnical and vocational education in the country will see a major boost in capacity after the signing of several contracts yesterday morning at the Ministry of Education.Nearly half a billion dollars was signed off in contracts between the Ministry and several contractors to equip and furnish two newly built technical institutes in regions three and five and to retool and reequip the existing technical institutions.The International Pharmaceutical Corporation (IPA) signed two contracts worth $43.3M and $6.6M. The first is for the supply, delivery and installation of office furniture. The other is for household appliances such as cookers, industrial burners, refrigerators and other items necessary for the Technical Institutions.Digital Technology had earlier signed yet another contract with the Ministry, this one worth $70M to provide office equipment such as computers, servers and overhead projectors. Just last week the company signed off on a $223M contract to provide more than 1400 computers and other items to at least 70 schools around the country.(From left) Deonarine Etwaroo,Dejan Lovren Jersey, Director, IPA; Minister of Education,Jerome Boateng Jersey, Shaik Baksh; Ben J.H. ter Welle, Hon. Consul to Germany (representing Boss Pro-Tec); a Ministry Official and Mohamed Baksh.Boss Pro-Tec, a German company, was given the $102 million contract for the supply, delivery and installation of tools and equipment for two new technical centres.These include tools along the lines of drill presses, cutting lathes, bending machines and hammer drills. These two centres are being constructed at Leonora,Calum Chambers Jersey, West Coast Demerara; and Mahaicony,John Terry Jersey, East Coast Demerara.Two more contracts for tools and equipment were also signed yesterday morning. Both went to Mohamed Baksh who said that he was a representative of Pest Control Plus.The first is to the tune of $96.7M was for the provision of tools and equipment in the two new technical institutes. The second contract was for some $126M,Emre Mor Dortmund Shirts, although still a part of the Technical Vocational Enhancement Project, it will see the retooling and re-equipping of the Government Technical Institute (GTI), the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC) and the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI), arguably the three largest technical institutes in the country.All told six contracts were signed yesterday between the Ministry four contractors coming to a sum of $444.6M.According to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Phulandar Kandhai, this is “contract signing season” where the Ministry enters into a number of agreements with contractors in an effort to try to replenish materials and teaching resources in schools around the country.The agency also uses the opportunity to undertake repairs and rehabilitation of school buildings during the summer break since there is less chance of students being injured.Minister of Education,Son Heung-min Jersey UK, Shaik Baksh, said at the signing that Technical Vocation Education and Training (TVET) is a major ‘plank’ in the education sector; he noted that last week the Ministry made forward strides with respect to the provision of yet another ‘plank’ – Information and Communication Technology (ICT).He was at the time referring to the $223M contract signed between the Ministry and Digital Technology.He noted that there are currently seven technical institutes and Industrial Training Centers inclusive of the Carnegie School of Home Economics.The Ministry is nearing completion of two more Technical Institutes which these contracts seek to outfit appropriately in order to see them starting operations in the 2011/2012 academic year.These Institutes are the Mahaicony Technical and Vocational Skills Training Centre and the Leonora Technical and Vocational Skills Training Center. The Institutes are all part of the Enhancement of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project which is a joint initiative between the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Guyana.The project makes available some US$9.6M most of which is coming from the Caribbean Development Bank.Of which $427M has been spent on the construction of the two Institutes while another $444.6M has been expended on equipping the institutions as evinced by the signing yesterday.The project covers the construction of the Institutes, provides for outfitting the institutions with tool