During a visit on Friday by Minister of Education Priya Manickchand to the Abrams Zuil Secondary on the Essequibo Coast, concerns were raised about the pace of work as the new school is now months behind the scheduled completion date.
Manickchand along with the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, inquired about the unfinished walkways, classrooms and other basics needed to accommodate the approximately 700 students who are scheduled to start school at the Abrams Zuil Secondary School this year.
Also present during the visit were other senior officers from the Ministry of Education, as well as representatives of the regional administration and the contractor.
The contractor, Rakesh Samaroo, in response to the criticisms, assured the ministers that he and his crew will work tirelessly in order to have the walkways completed and other issues sorted out so that the school can be finished this year.
However, a dissatisfied Manickchand raised questions about the unfinished classrooms and other areas such as the laboratories. The contractor in response pointed out that more materials are needed which have to be imported from overseas. Regional Education Officer, Susannah Saywack, also told the minister that more money was needed for the importation of materials to aid in the completion of the laboratory and other areas.
Both ministers assured them that the materials will be provided, and list was requested of the amounts needed and the estimated cost. In this way, Manickchand explained, the list can be viewed and approval can be given for the disbursement of further monies for the extra materials needed for the completion of the project.
During the visit, Dharamlall committed to keeping in close communication with the contractor and regional administration in order to get water and electricity connected to the school.
After discussions among the ministers, regional administration, and the contractor as to the basic items needed for the opening of the brand new school, an agreement was arrived at. The regional administration will prepare a list to have the additional materials purchased for the completion of the project.
According to Manickchand, “What materials are overseas and you can’t get it for the lab, the students can do labs in another room.”
Meanwhile, Saywack seized the opportunity to inform the ministers that more buses were needed to transport the children to and from school in the region. She noted that although the buses are operating on a shift system, there are not enough of them.
The ministers promised the Education officer to look into the matter of acquiring more buses.
Both ministers agreed that another walk through of the school will be done today to assess the work done. A completion date of March 15 was agreed upon by all concerned.
Earlier during the visit, Manickchand had asserted, “With this massive investment, the government will ensure every child has access to a secondary education irrespective of their geographical location.”
She also informed that the ministry will be training more teachers and consequently, every teacher in a classroom will either be trained or in training.
The school is expected to accommodate around 700 students, and will boast some 23 classrooms, 14 other rooms, and 10 different administration sections.
Back on July 14, 2021, the Minister of Education, and several other government ministers had turned the sod for the construction of a new Abrams Zuil Secondary School in Region Two. The minister had indicated that the new school was scheduled to be completed in September 2022 at a cost of $585 million. The old school building was torn down.
On the day of the sod turnng, Dharamlall had said that his Ministry intends to strictly hold the contracting firm to the contractual timelines. The contract was awarded to Builders Hardware and General Supplies.
