Sod turned for $175M Maruranau Secondary School

Nov 23, 2024 News

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand alongside the contractor and regional officials turning the sod for the construction of the Maruranau Secondary School.

Kaieteur News- Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Friday turned the sod to commence the construction of the $175 million Maruranau Secondary School in Region Nine.

The project which was awarded to Sheriff Construction Inc. for $175,525,300 by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office is expected to be completed by June next year.

According to Minister Manickchand, this first-of-its-kind secondary school there will serve three main areas: Maruranau, Shea and Awarewanau Villages and will accommodate some 400 students.

“It’s a secondary school that will cater for about 400 children there will be dorms for the children from Awarewanau and Shea. I understand the children from Rupanau want to go here instead of Sand Creek (Secondary School) and there will be a teachers’ quarter. This project should finish next year June so we are going to be in a new secondary school here at these villages in Deep South by next September,” she said on Friday.

This publication previously reported that this is Sheriff’s third secondary school project for the year. The construction company was awarded a contract in July to build the Kopinang Secondary School for $199 million, and in June it was awarded the $231 million contract to build the secondary school in Jawalla Village.

The new secondary school is one of several that the government plans to build in the hinterland regions.

Kaieteur News had reported that secondary school students were being accommodated at the Maruranau Primary Top School but recently had a new secondary department building constructed in the village.

In August, the Office of the Regional Executive Officer (REO), Karl Singh revealed in a Facebook post that a new a Secondary Educational Building was constructed which will be serving the students of Maruranau, Shea and Awarewanau Villages.

It was stated that the establishment of the building for the secondary department is a collaborative effort of the government, the Regional Administration, local leaders, educators, and community members, who have long recognized the need for accessible education within the hinterland regions.

The new secondary department which is currently being utilized is offering a range of subjects aligned with the national curriculum, providing students with a robust educational foundation, the Regional Development Council office reported.

“A historic moment unfolded in Maruranau Village as the community proudly inaugurated its first-ever Secondary Department building marking a significant step forward in the educational landscape of the Deep South Rupununi region. This new facility, which began orientation and enrollment this week, will serve as a crucial educational hub for the region, providing access to secondary education for 180 students from Maruranau and the neighbouring villages of Shea and Awarewanau,” the RDC said in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, in April, at an outreach in the region, Minister Priya Manickchand told residents that four new secondary schools are expected to be constructed in the region at Nappi, Massara, Maruranau and Tabatinga villages.

It was reported that the construction of the secondary schools will ease the overcrowding at St Ignatius, while closing the primary tops in the other communities will provide students with the opportunity to have better access to learning.

This year, the Ministry of Education was allocated $74.4Billion from the national budget, a portion of which will be used for the construction, rehabilitation, extension and maintenance of educational facilities. This newspaper reported that since taking office in 2020 the ministry has embarked on an aggressive programme to ensure that the nation’s children have access to secondary education. The aim is to achieve universal secondary education by 2025.

(Sod turned for $175M Maruranau Secondary School)

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Marurananau Secondary School, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, new school, Region Nine, Sheriff Construction Inc., sod turned

Latest News