A modern $1.3 billion secondary school will be constructed at Nismes, on the West Bank of Demerara.
A simple sod turning ceremony was held on Thursday for the state-of-the-art facility, which will accommodate some 800 students and 50 staff.
“The idea is to make sure all your children can sit comfortably in a secondary school, learn all their academic work, learn music, do sports, learn a foreign language, get involved in TVET and volunteerism and come out as whole, hearty, well rounded students,” Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand stated while delivering remarks.
The minister told the contractors that she expects remarkable work, emphasising that the project must be completed within the stipulated eight-month time frame.
“It can be done, because everybody is working at the same time on their different lots. By next September we are cutting a ribbon and seating children,” the minister expressed.
She pointed out that this project must be approached with a sense of urgency, since some students are currently being accommodated at a community centre.
“We didn’t ask one contractor to do this… because we want everyone working on this at the same time, so that the school finishes quicker,” the education minister stated.
A total of three secondary schools are being built in Region Three. Apart from the secondary school at Nismes, another school is being constructed in Tuschen and another in Vreed-en- Hoop.
The construction, of these schools, is part of the government’s investment within the education sector to advance and improve the quality of education made available for the nations children.