The Ministry of Education continues to aggressively pursue Universal Secondary Education to ensure students across Guyana have access to quality secondary education. This was further boosted today with the signing of contracts for the construction of the Hosororo Secondary School in Region One and a Secondary School that will be built in Tuschen in Region Three.
The two schools will be built at $2.619B and $864.705M respectively. Both projects were divided into various lots to allow for an earlier completion date. The schools are expected to be completed within seven to eight months from today.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand said that the Ministry is on a massive drive with secondary education. She said that these projects are important to the Ministry because, with more students in the system, space becomes an issue necessitating the construction of more schools so that students and teachers can learn and teach in a comfortable environment.
Minister Manickchand said that the Government of Guyana wants to ensure that children can be given the opportunity to a sound secondary education across the country.
The Education Minister warned the contractors present today that they cannot delay the projects so that by September 2024, students can begin attending the schools. She said, “You are going to change people’s lives. An entire generation will get a different and a better life because of what you do”. She encouraged them to be efficient and to reach out to the Ministry if they are experiencing difficulties so that they can be resolved. Also present at today’s signing ceremony were Permanent Secretary, Mr. Alfred King, Chief Education Officer, Mr. Saddam Hussain and Special Projects Officer, Mr. Ron Eastman.
The secondary school at Tuschen will be a fully reinforced concrete structure combined with a circular and cylindrical building outline that is covered in a dome roof. The building will also be branched with several scientific and research centres, a multi-purpose and cafeteria hall, a storage and changing area and a library and document centre. The school will have 24 classrooms to accommodate over 800 students. The science centre will be equipped with a physics, chemistry and biology lab while the TVET Centre will have industrial and home economics laboratories.
The school will also have sanitary blocks for the student and teacher population. The fire prevention features include fire escape exits, escape doors, fire alarms, extinguishers, limited timber usage, metal ceilings and fire-retardant panels. The outdoor space will include a recreational facility for basketball, cricket and other sports.
The contracts awarded for the construction of the secondary school at Tuschen are as follows:
| Lot -1 Sub-Structure Works | S&K Construction | $285,101,936.00 |
| Lot -2 Super-Structure Works | AS Construction | $179,100,000.00 |
| Lot -3 Plumbing Works | VG Group Guyana Inc. | $29,212,549.00 |
| Lot -4 Electrical Works | N Balgobin & Sons | $72,467,910.00 |
| Lot -5 Finishing Works | K&S General Construction | $137,833,000.00 |
| Lot -6 External Works | AS Construction | $160,990,000.00 |
The Hosororo Secondary School will have 29 classrooms to accommodate over 500 students. Its science centre will also feature physics, chemistry and biology laboratories. The TVET centre will have both industrial and home economics laboratories. A student dormitory and visiting area will also be constructed to accommodate 200 students while the teachers’ duplex living quarters will accommodate 20 teachers. There will also be sanitary blocks for both students and teachers. The fire prevention features include fire escape exits, escape doors, fire alarms, extinguishers, limited timber usage, metal ceilings and fire-retardant panels. The outdoor space will accommodate several sporting disciplines.
The contracts awarded for the construction of the Hosororo Secondary School are as follows:
| Lot -1 Site Development Works | International Imports & Supplies | $280,204,731.00 |
| Lot -2 Sub-Structure Works, School Building | International Imports & Supplies | $303,837,015.00 |
| Lot -3 Sub-Structure Works, Dormitory | Supreme Contracting & Supplies | $196,319,040.00 |
| Lot -4 Sub-Structure Works, Teachers Quarters | International Imports & Supplies | $180,402,585.00 |
| Lot -5 Super-Structure Works & Electrical | VG Group Guyana | $1,411,400,917.00 |
| Lot -6 Plumbing Works | VG Group Guyana | $247,043,973.00 |
The consultant on both projects is GR Engineering.
