Minister of Education Priya Manickchand confirmed on Friday that classes at the newly built North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary School have been delayed due to unresolved issues with the washroom facilities.
Although the school reopened on Monday, classes were suspended by the next day because of ongoing water and sanitation challenges.
During a visit to the school by the Sunday Stabroek on Friday, it was observed that significant construction work was still underway in parts of the school. According to a school source, while the students had returned to classrooms earlier in the week, the lack of functioning washroom facilities forced the school to close once again.
Manickchand acknowledged the situation and stated that both the contractor, Kares Engineering Inc, and engineers from the Ministry of Education are working to resolve the issues.
“Our priority is ensuring that students are able to attend school in a safe and conducive environment. We are doing everything possible to minimise the amount of time children spend out of the classroom,” she said.
The reconstruction of the school was awarded to Kares Engineering Inc under a $566.9 million contract in August 2022, with the original project slated for completion by October 2023. However, despite the 14-month timeline, the project has faced multiple delays.
The original North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary School was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin on June 19, 2021.
