The Ministry of Education has been silent on the delay in the commencement of the construction of a new building to accommodate students of St. Rose’s High School.
Almost a year ago, government awarded a $352.7 million contract to Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited for construction to commence.
Stabroek News had reported that the construction was expected to commence in August last year.
During a recent visit to the school compound, it was observed that no preparatory work has been undertaken for the construction of the new building subsequent to the demolition of the old building.
When Stabroek News contacted Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited a few months ago for an explanation of the delay, it was related that the holdup was on the part Education Ministry.
Stabroek News reached out to the ministry’s Public Relations Department for an explanation but was asked to contact the Permanent Secretary’s office. Numerous calls and visits to the office proved futile as Stabroek News was always told that Permanent Secretary Adele Clarke was in a meeting.
The building was demolished last July by PD Contracting at a cost of $16,930,000.
The school board had explained in a statement that the replacement structure would incorporate many aspects of the original school building’s design, including the green space courtyard area, which was a unique feature of the school.
The design of the new building, it added, was done by a Trinidadian firm with “strong Guyanese roots in architectural design and consulting services.”
