Chinese Government provides $10 million grant — via ETCA — for Bertram Collins College Headquarters Construction Project

On September 22, 2018, the Chinese Government and the Government of Guyana signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which committed RMB 100 million ($14 million) of grant funding for multiple projects. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) reportedly allocated $10 million of grant funding from the ETCA for the Bertram Collins College Headquarters Construction Project. The purpose of the project is to construct a modern, state-of-the-art facility — with a lecture room, canteen, gym, and study areas — on a 29-acre parcel of land in Ogle, East Coast Demerara — where the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was once headquartered. As of August 26, 2020, the Chinese Government had already dispatched engineers, surveyors and other experts to the project site to conduct soil-testing and evaluate the viability of the project site. However, construction had not yet commenced. Then, in February 2021, the Irfaan Ali administration decided to close the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service. Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, said during a press conference that the David Granger Coalition Government had been using the College to run its political campaign with taxpayer dollars. The Vice President was responding to concerns that the decision to close the school was motivated by ethno-political bias. He noted that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) had held long ago that it would dismantle the school: ‘We campaigned on that. It’s not a secret,’ Dr. Jagdeo said. ‘As Leader of the Opposition, I said that. I said we’d save the money… and put it into other things that are more useful for people. We didn’t hide that before.’

Additional details

1. This project is also known as the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service Construction Project and the Public Service College Project. 2. The Bertram Collins College of the Public Service is the brain-child of President David Granger following years of criticism of the public service for poor customer service. The college does not only provide training for current public servants, but also caters to school-leavers who are interested in pursuing a career there.

Number of official sources

2

Number of total sources

11