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Cost for Monkey Mountain school now $490M
…as gov’t awards $282M contract for dormitory
Kaieteur News- K’s Trucking & Construction, the company that previously won the $208 million contract to construct the Monkey Mountain Secondary School in Region Eight, has been awarded two additional contracts worth a combined $282 million. These new contracts will see the construction of a students’ dormitory, multipurpose hall, and kitchen to support the school’s operations.
According to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), the contracts were awarded on December 12, 2024: Lot 1: construction of students’ dormitory, multipurpose hall and kitchen – $179,394,560 and Lot 2: construction of students’ dormitory, multipurpose hall and kitchen – $102,603,450.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and other officials, on Monday, turning the sod to commence the construction of the Monkey Mountain Secondary School. (Photo courtesy, MoE – July 1, 2024)
The combined value of the new contracts brings K’s Trucking & Construction’s total involvement in the Monkey Mountain Secondary School project to $490 million.
On Monday July 1, 2024, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, turned the sod to commence the construction of the $208,282,809 school.
Kaieteur News reported that in June, the NPTAB office awarded the $208 million contract to K’s Trucking & Construction Service following a competitive bidding process.
The Ministry, in a press release, said the project is part of a broader effort by the government to expand access to secondary education across the country, aligning with its goal to achieve universal secondary education by 2025.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand
The Monkey Mountain Secondary School, when completed, is expected to cater to the educational needs of students from the communities of Monkey Mountain, Taruka and Tusseneng. The complex will also have a teachers’ quarter and a small dormitory for the children of Taruka and Tusseneng.
The project also includes provisions of facilities such as laboratories, an information technology lab, and a library– ensuring that students have access to modern learning resources. The Ministry shared that training of teachers is currently ongoing and more teachers were identified to begin training for the secondary level.
During the simple sod turning ceremony, Minister Manickchand highlighted the importance of the new school, stating that it will alleviate the burden on existing educational facilities such as Paramakatoi by accommodating an average of 250 secondary-aged students.
The Ministry reported that currently, students from these communities have had to travel significant distances to access secondary education, often facing logistical challenges due to the limited availability of schools in the Region.
The recent awards published on NPTAB’s website.
The Minister further noted the holistic approach of the project, mentioning that alongside the school, provisions will be made for a teachers’ quarters given the remote location of Monkey Mountain. This measure aims to attract and retain qualified educators, thereby ensuring the delivery of quality education to students in the area.
Kaieteur News understands that residents of Monkey Mountain expressed their deep gratitude, anticipation and appreciation for the new school and the relief it will bring to their families. It was reported too that the residents chose to let their current Grade Six children be educated in the community pending the completion of the school.
A resident from the community said, “Now that we will have a brand-new secondary school constructed right in our village, our children will be able to get educated from the nursery level right up to secondary, and I can speak for most parents when I say that we can now die happily seeing the development of our village.”
(Cost for Monkey Mountain school now $490M)
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