Sod turned for new secondary school at Waramuri Village, Region One

For the first time, approximately 350 students will benefit from the construction of a brand-new secondary school in the village of Waramuri in the Moruca sub-district, Region One.

This follows the sod-turning ceremony held last Friday, attended by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and other officials.

The new school, which is expected to be completed by March 2025, will be equipped with state-of-the-art classrooms, science laboratories, a library, and sports facilities. The contract for the construction has been awarded to Trevon David Construction company.

Currently, several secondary schools are being constructed in the region, including  Northwest Secondary, Kwebanna Secondary, and Hosororo Secondary. Construction will soon commence on Matthew’s Ridge Secondary.

This initiative is in line with the PPP/C government’s comprehensive agenda to ensure students have equal access to quality education and to achieve universal access to secondary education by the end of 2025.

Minister Manickchand also inspected the progress of ongoing works on Northwest and Hosororo Secondary schools. At the Northwest Secondary, 85 per cent of the expansion and reconstruction works have already been completed.

Upon completion, over 600 students will be comfortably accommodated at the school. This two-storey building will feature 23 classrooms, three science laboratories, Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) laboratories, a sanitary block, and an accessible lift.

The school, which was destroyed by fire in September 2021, is expected to be completed by mid-July.

Meanwhile, the road and drainage networks, along with the prefabricated teachers’ living quarters, have been completed at Hosororo Secondary. When completed, Hosororo Secondary will accommodate 800 students.

This modern edifice will feature 40 classrooms, laboratories, a TVET centre, canteen, multi-purpose hall and cafeteria, sanitary block, fire prevention mechanisms, and an outdoor recreational facility.  It will also have a dormitory to house over 300 students and living quarters for approximately 30 teachers.

In July 2023, contracts totalling over $2 billion were signed to construct the school.

“The idea is to bring universal secondary education…That is why you see five secondary schools in one region in less than five years. We are really happy to be able to do that for the children of this region,” the minister highlighted during a recent televised update.

She added, “This school along with the reconstruction and expansion of Northwest Secondary will allow us to close all the primary tops in the Mabaruma sub-district.”

For context, primary tops are primary schools where secondary-aged students attend to receive their secondary education.

Moreover, the Minister stated that all dormitories are being rehabilitated at Northwest, Santa Rosa, Pakaraima, and across the country to meet the standards recommended by experts, ensuring that the requisite mechanisms are in place.

The minister was joined by Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley, Regional Vice Chairperson, Annasha Peters, Regional Executive Officer, Mr Sewchand, Deputy Chief Education Officer for Amerindian and Hinterland Education Development, Marti DeSouza, Mayor of Mabaruma, Chris Pang and other officials.