Construction on the new Good Hope Secondary School is now due to be completed in April 2022 instead of August 2021 as was previously determined, according to a Ministry of Education (MoE) release on Saturday.
The MoE informed that there have been “several setbacks with the physical infrastructure not being completed due to the previous contractor failing to deliver.” It added that after two or three extensions, the contract with the previous contractor was terminated by the Government. A new contractor, R. Bassoo and Sons Construction, was nominated and both government and the World Bank then gave their no-objection to having the firm being awarded the contract to complete the school.
The release explained that in September 2020, 195 Grade 7 students were allocated to Good Hope Secondary School at a time when the school was only 75 per cent complete. The Minister of Education met with the parents of these students on the 13th of October 2020 and the following decisions were taken: any student who wished to be placed at another school will be granted a transfer and all remaining students will be taught virtually
At that time, it was projected that the school would be completed by August 2021. During the academic year, September 2020 to August 2021, 75 students were granted a transfer. As such, the current enrolment of this school is 120 Grade 8 students. This cohort has been divided into 5 classes and these students were initially taught Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Studies.
However, with the expansion of the curriculum, students are now being taught Information Technology, Agriculture Science, Home Economics, Industrial Technology and Health and Family Life Education (HFLE). Eighteen teachers have been retained by the Ministry of Education to teach these students virtually while the practical components of these subjects are done at Annandale Secondary School.
The current Grade 8 cohort of Good Hope Secondary will continue to receive virtual teaching until the school is ready for physical attendance. The Minister of Education met with the parents of these students on the 1st October 2021 and advised them of the recent developments. While parents were disappointed that the school had not been completed, they agreed that the virtual teaching should continue, the release added.
