Eight months after Orealla school project collapses, no new contractor identified

Apr 26, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Eight months after the initial contract for the construction of the Orealla Secondary School in Region Six was terminated by the Ministry of Education, a new contractor is yet to be identified to complete the project.

Kaieteur News reported in January that the $198.8 million school project was terminated back in August 2025 after it was discovered that tenders were opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office for the same project in December 2025.

Since then, this publication has been informed that a new contractor is yet to start works on the school project.

Toshao of Orealla Village, Laurence Vandenburgh on Friday told Kaieteur News that he recently inquired about the school project from the Regional Authorities and was told it was in the “tendering process.”

In response, the Toshao said he hopes the new contract is awarded soon so that students can remain in their community to attend school. He said parents who are currently forced to send their children to schools on the coast have expressed frustration over the situation.

Currently, both the Orealla Primary and Secondary schools are housed in one building and accommodate just over 190 students.

Toshao Vandenburgh said while the building accommodates the students, there is need for the students and teachers to be comfortable and the primary and secondary schools to have their own space.

He disclosed that the students are required to share the same resources. Further, the secondary school students have complained that they do not have proper materials to do their laboratory work.

“For CXC, they still need their space to do certain labs and they don’t have that so they have to improvise. Nothing major but the new school would have benefitted them more,” he said.

Kaieteur News reported that the termination of the contract comes less than a year after a high-profile sod-turning ceremony and follows the contractor’s failure to meet construction deadlines. According to NPTAB website, in December four contractors have bid for the ministry’s project. The project is slated to be done in four lots.

The contractors who applied for the contract are Chavi Construction; Taylor’s Construction and Transport who bid Lot1 $19,491,100 Lot2 $50,794,100, Lot3 $34,855,350, Lot4 $29,855,200; Ali’s Construction and Maintenance Services who bid Lot1 $30,043,900, Lot2 $76,748,000, Lot3 $59,804,000, Lot4 $38,619,300; and M&M and Daughters Grocery who bid Lot1 $25,333,600, Lot2 $61,053,100, Lot3 $45,611,350, Lot4 $32,328,500.

The Ministry of Education in September 2024 held a sod turning ceremony for the construction of the school. The project was awarded to 4S Security & Building Enterprise for $198,866,010. The supervision of the project was said to be conducted by CEMCO Incorporated. It was reported by the ministry at the time that already the contractor was given an initial mobilisation amount of $59,659,803 and that the project is anticipated to be completed within six months.

“Last year in August before the new school year started, they had a deadline for the 15^th of August to complete everything, however, the contractor didn’t reach the deadline and they decide to terminate it,” the Toshao told this publication back in January.

Detailing the amount of works done under the initial contract, Toshao Vandenburgh said that the structures have been erected and this includes three buildings. He added that one of the buildings already has its roof on.

During the sod turning ceremony, it was revealed that the secondary school will feature six modern classrooms, four specialised laboratories, and a well-equipped library, aimed at providing high-quality learning environment for approximately 180 students. The facility is expected to serve the educational needs of students from both Orealla and the nearby Siparuta area thereby addressing a critical gap in educational resources.

The new Orealla Secondary School is poised to make a substantial impact on the local community, ensuring that students in this riverain village and the surrounding areas benefit from improved educational facilities.

Further, the school will not only benefit students by eliminating the need for them to travel to the coast for secondary schooling but will also ease the financial burden on parents who previously had to pay for accommodation and other expenses.

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• contractor, Laurence Vandenburgh, NPTAB, Orealla school project, Priya Manickchand, Toshao

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