$26 million to fix crumbling Santa Rosa Primary School

Dec 02, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The much needed rehabilitation of the deplorable Santa Rosa Primary School in Region One will soon get underway as a contract for the works has been awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

NPTAB on its website stated that on November 21 last, contractor Bree’s Enterprise was awarded the $26,487,900 contract to do the job. When bids for the project were opened back in October, Bree’s Enterprise was among three contractors that were vying for the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development project which was estimated to cost $19,993,560, according to its engineer. This contractor had submitted the lowest out of the three bids.

Building ‘A’ of the Santa Rosa Primary School which is slated for rehabilitation.

Kaieteur News had reported that what prompted authorities to have the building repaired was a protest action by teachers and parents of the school over its deplorable state. 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 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’ closed 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.

The deteriorating state of the school building. (Photo credit: Moruca DC)

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. Kaieteur News was told recently by an official of the school that while they are waiting for the building to be rehabilitated, students are also accommodated in army tents. They are hoping to see works on the building be executed soon because with the current rainy season, when it rains it affects the students that are under the tents.