$2.6B Hosororo Secondary School opens

Jan 21, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – The Regional Democratic Council of Region One has announced that the new $2.6 billion Hosororo Secondary School in Mabaruma is now completed and has opened for operations.

Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley during a Facebook live on Monday night said he, along with other regional officials, were at the school seeing its preparation for opening on Tuesday (January 20).

The Ministry of Education in July 2023 had signed several contracts totaling $2,619,208,261 for the construction of the school building.

At the time, the ministry disclosed that the school measured 409 ft. by 25 ft and will have 29 classrooms to accommodate over 500 students. It will have a science centre which will feature physics, chemistry and biology laboratories, along with a TVET centre which will have both industrial and home economics laboratories. A student dormitory and visiting area will also be constructed to accommodate 200 students while the teachers’ duplex living quarters will accommodate 20 teachers.

Regional Education Officer, Anasha Peters assured that “all systems are in place” for the opening of the brand-new building. The school will accommodate children from communities in Mabaruma, immediately housing those from the Hosororo Primary Top and Wauna.

“Parents, for those of you who have your children here at Hosororo Secondary School, please send them out, because we have made it possible for the opening of the school tomorrow, so your children could be in a much more comfortable classroom and learning will be even better,” she stated.

According to Peters, before the new building, the children were attending primary tops in the community and were on a shift system attending classes. “We had our children on the shift system for quite a long time, and both parents and I know that wasn’t really something good for our children,” she disclosed.

Encouraging parents to send their children to the new school, she also assured them breakfast and lunch would also be available beginning Tuesday.

The regional chairman also addressed concerns by parents regarding the readiness of the school, in terms of furnishing, electricity and potable water.

“I know that there are some issues or concerns that the PTA chairman would have raised when he visited earlier today, along with some of the PTA executives, that they were concerned about that would not be addressed to accommodate tomorrow’s opening of the classrooms for children. So, I want to say one of the things was electricity, (that is) is up and running, the concern was water to the facility, especially for the washrooms, that also has been completed already. They were concerned about the hot meals, systems are in place for the breakfast to be here,” he mentioned.

 

Further, the chairman said while the school is ready, minor works are still to be completed on the students’ dormitory and the teachers’ living quarters which is located in close proximity of the school.

While the regional administration confirmed the school readiness, opposition member of parliament, Sherod Duncan said following his recent visit to the school earlier this month, there were still much more to be completed there.

“I am deeply concerned by reports that teachers are being directed to commence operations at the Hosororo Secondary School in Mabaruma, Region One, while the facility remains incomplete. Furniture is still being assembled, sections of the school are only now being hurriedly prepared, and critical components, including student dormitories, teachers’ quarters, drainage, auditorium and external works, are unfinished,” he said via a post on Facebook.

Duncan said that opening a school under these conditions is not responsible planning.

“Our students and teachers deserve a safe, fully functional environment, not a facility rushed into use for appearances. My recent site visit confirmed the concerns being raised by teachers and parents, and I strongly caution against any phased or pressured opening that undermines the hinterland education model this school was designed to support,” he expressed.

The opposition MP further called on the Ministry of Education to provide a transparent update on completion timelines, safety certification, and operational readiness before students are placed on the compound. “Development is not measured by announcements or ribbon cuttings, it is measured by delivery, and I will continue to raise this matter in parliament to ensure accountability and protect the welfare of families in Region One,” he related.

Kaieteur News understands that the Hosororo Secondary School was one of the 18 schools the ministry said it would commission in the first quarter of this year.

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• Brentnol Ashley, Hosororo Secondary School, Ministry of Education, TVET centre

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