$566M contract signed to rebuild burnt sections of North Ruimveldt Secondary School

Aug 25, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Following a devastating fire that destroyed some of its main teaching areas, the burnt section of the North Ruimveldt Secondary School is on a path of being reconstructed.

On Wednesday, at the school’s auditorium the Ministry of Education signed a $566.9 million contract with Kares Engineering Inc. to rebuild the burnt section.

Kares Engineering Inc., Kaieteur News had reported was among nine companies that had placed bids for project which at the time was estimated to cost some $622,375,321. This building which will form part of the $6.6 billion that was allocated from this year’s budget towards the construction, rehabilitation, extension, and maintenance of educational facilities across the country, is expected to be completed by November next year and is said to be rebuild in the footprint of the existing burnt building.

Headteacher of North Ruimveldt Secondary School, Ms. Allison Cosbert.

The new modernised structure will be three-storey building that will be fitted with science labs, IT Labs, new and remodeled classrooms and staff rooms. The $566 million project, this publication understands, will be supervised by Marcel Gaskin Associates. Speaking at the contract signing and sod turning ceremony yesterday, Headteacher of the school, Ms. Allison Cosbert, who expressed gratitude for the rebuilding project said that following the destruction of the building, the teaching staff had a really difficult time during that period.

The Headteacher added, “However, with the support we got from the Ministry we were able to hold on to the hope that yes we can continue having school.” Ms. Cosbert said she welcomes this project and specifically thanked the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand for staying committed to her words that the building will be rebuilt.

Minister of Education, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Alfred King, Headteacher Cosbert, and representative of Kares Engineering Inc. turning the sod for the reconstruction of the school.

Minister Manickchand who is pleased to have the project come on board, said yesterday that due to the destroyed sectionof school, this year the Ministry was only able to placed some 60 students at the school. North Ruimveldt Secondary which is noted to be the top school in South Georgetown, the Minister said would usually take in some 150 students at the new school term but unfortunately this is not the case this year.

While expressing that the project should be completed on time and of high standard, the Minister during her address issued a warning to contractors taking on education projects, by indicating failing to execute the job, there are consequences. She said that when contractors fail to do what they are suppose to do at the quality they are suppose to do it , “children suffer.”

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand delivering her remarks yesterday.

“And so I am going to be harsher and more vigilant on delivery and that will see us doing things like applying liquated damages because people suffer when you don’t get schools ready or they are not done to specs,” she said. It was reported that on June 19, 2021, a fire reported to be that of arson, destroyed the main teaching area of the North Ruimveldt School which housed the first ever smart classroom in the country. At the time of the fire, some 65 students were awaiting to write their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC – CXC) examinations. Upon completion of the new building, it was revealed yesterday that it is expected to house some 450 to 500 students.