Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 12, 2022 News
Kaieteur News – Following protest by teachers and parents over the deplorable state of the Santa Rosa Primary School in Region One, its Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is seeking a contractor to rehabilitate the building.
During the reading of bids on Tuesday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office, it was revealed that three contractors have applied to carry out the works.
The companies vying to fix the school are as follow: Aruca Investment which entered a bid of $27,450,330, Bree’s Enterprise which a bid of $26,487,900, and Caribbean Construction, Consultancy & International Suppliers Inc. which entered a bid of $31,413,580.
According to the Engineer attached to the RDC, the rehabilitative works are estimated to cost $19,993,560.
Following the protest action on September 26, last, officials from the Ministry of Education had visited the residents and parents, and promised to have the building repaired.
The school’s Parent Teachers Association (PTA) Chairperson, Ms. Donna Henry had told this publication previously that the Santa Rosa Primary comprises of three buildings, building ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’ and that the building in dire need of repairs is building ‘A’.
She shared that Grades One, Two and Five students are usually housed in that building and they are the ones seriously affected. Henry explained that at the engagement with the Ministry officials it was decided to have building ‘A’ close until it is fully repaired. In the meantime, the students who usually occupy that building will be relocated to other classrooms in the other two buildings and that a shift system will be put in place.
The Chairperson had also told this publication that prior to the protest a PTA meeting was held with parents and they raised concerns about the school. Flowing from the discussion at the meeting, they decided to protest in front of the Region’s Education Office.
She mentioned that for months, the Headmistress of the school would write in her monthly reports to the RDC that the school is in dire need of repairs.
According to Henry, what she learnt was that there is a $19.5 million allocation for the repair of the school, which the RDC promised to use to do the necessary renovation, but to date nothing was done. “We have some major issues there where there is major overcrowding of the school, we have some children admitted to register and they cannot attend school because the school doesn’t have space for them. Another issue is that the building is a very, very old building – the floors are rotten, we have a serious heat problem that resulted because the building does not have ceiling and there is no proper ventilation,” she explained.
Henry added that just before schools reopened earlier this month, some minor repairs were done to the building by the RDC. This, she said, was done because the school’s officials had planned not to open the school if the issues were not fixed.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 20, 2024
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