– as expansion of Friendship Secondary begins on August 1

AS part of Government’s effort to ensure transparency and value for state funds, the Ministry of Education has been conducting a number of consultations in communities which will benefit from new educational structures or expansions to existing ones. 

On Monday, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand and other Ministry officials met with residents of Friendship and the surrounding environs as extension works on the Friendship Secondary are expected to commence August 1, and has a contract deadline on February 25, 2015.
The contract for the structure which will house six new classrooms has been awarded to NABI and sons Construction Company.
Minister Manickchand told the gathering that the meeting is aimed at informing them of the works to be carried out and cost of the works, and for them to play a role in monitoring them to ensure value for money.
“We are embarking on a new policy where every new construction that we do, we are inviting the community and other stakeholders in the community so that we can all be interested and active participants in these projects.”
The Minister noted the importance of community involvement since they will all be the beneficiaries when the project in completed.
“This is a public meeting and persons were invited. You are going to be the end users, so we want to make sure that together we get the kind of product that we want.”
The Minister cited a recent incident at Sand Creek in Region 9, where a school was constructed a year ago and has already started to show signs of disrepair. As a result, the Ministry was forced to remove the children from the building.
The Minister noted that the administration is trying to avoid more such incidents, noting that residents are now allowed to visit construction sites and monitor works, ask questions, and report to the Ministry if they notice any discrepancies.
A plan and detailed work plan for the construction will be left with the school’s Parent Teacher’s Association and at the work site.
The Minister explained that the contract was awarded to the contractor after a fair bidding process, which went through the relevant authority; the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.
According to Minister Manickchand, over the years, the Government has had numerous experiences with shoddy works from contractors, hence the need for these consultations.
“This government has made no secret of the fact that we believe education is the only way we can make your lives better, and that of your children, we have embarked on this massive education programme.”
Meanwhile consultations have been held at several other communities which will benefit from new school structures.
Over the weekend, a consultation was held at Cummings Park, which will benefit from a new Nursery school to be built at a cost of $30.8M.
Meanwhile the Minister took the opportunity to inform the gathering of government’s new initiative to assist parents with school age children, that of the disbursement of the $10,000 cash grant to every child in the public school system.
The Minister also sought from the parents their preferred means and location of en-cashing the vouchers as she has been doing at several consultations across the country. (GINA)