Sod turned for construction of $182M Tabatinga Secondary School, Region 9

Oct 21, 2024 News

Sod turned for construction of $182M Tabatinga Secondary School, Region 9

Kaieteur News– President Irfaan Ali and Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Sunday turned the sod for the construction of the $182 million Tabatinga Secondary School, located in Lethem, Region Nine.

In his brief remark, President Ali stated that the project should be completed within 18 months. This publication had reported that the project which went out to tender through the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development was awarded last month to contractor QA Civil Works, following the national bidding process at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office.

QA Civil Works was among 13 firms that submitted bids for the project which was estimated to cost $198 million.

In her address, Minister Manickchand underscored the government’s commitment to ensuring that students across the country are treated fairly and are given the opportunity to learn in a safe and comfortable environment. The Tabatinga Secondary School is one of four new secondary schools the government intends to build in the Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo Region this year. The construction of the secondary schools will ease the overcrowding at St. Ignatius Secondary, while closing the primary tops in the other communities to provide students with the opportunity to have better access to learning.

“…So that the 1,100 children that are overflowing at St. Ignatius can have comfortable seats at Tabatinga. In this region, we are fixing the Sand Creek dorm and the Annai dorm and the Aishalton dorm so that your children can live there more comfortably,” the minister said.

Manickchand disclosed that since 2020 the government has built 18 nursery schools, and construction to commence on several primary schools. In addition to Tabatinga, a new secondary school will be constructed at Nappi, Maruranau and Massara Villages along with the ongoing construction of Karasabai Secondary School. The education minister noted that the completion of these schools will add 2,500 more seats for secondary school students. Kaieteur News understands that across the hinterland regions, a total of 16 secondary schools will be constructed.

In Region One, five secondary schools will be constructed; in Region Six, there will be one; in Region Seven two schools; and in Region Eight, three schools will be constructed. Tenders have been issued for the majority of the projects. Construction of some of the schools has started.

This newspaper reported too that the government has embarked on an aggressive programme to ensure that the nation’s children have access to secondary education. The Government has set 2025 to achieve universal secondary education. To achieve this, the Ministries of Education and Local Government have since moved to have several secondary schools constructed across the country.

(Sod turned for construction of $182M Tabatinga Secondary School, Region 9)

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Guyana’s Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Karasabai Secondary School, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), President Irfaan Ali, Priya Manickchand, Tabatinga

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