BY the end of this year, three villages of the Upper Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region will benefit from the construction of a primary school, as the government aims to boost access to education in hinterland communities.

On Friday, a contract, valued in excess of $25M, was signed in the office of the Regional Executive Officer (REO), between the Government of Guyana and K & P Project Management, for the construction of a primary school at Iterinbang, which is located on the Upper-Cuyuni River, close to the Guyana-Venezuela border. Mobilisation to the construction site has already begun.

The contracts for these projects were facilitated by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board(NPTAB), through the Regional Administration of Region Seven.

Regional Chairman, Gordon Bradford, told the Guyana Chronicle that this new school is an absolute necessity, and it is heartening that they have all that is needed to provide the school to the children in the community.

Bradford explained that the children in Iterinbang went to San Marten Primary School in Venezuela, since there is no school in their village. However, at the advent of the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, the school was closed down, and the children of Iterinbang were without schooling. As such, this contract was urgently needed so that the children can have access to foundation education.

He also said that the people of the village, upon hearing that they will be getting a primary school, assembled and they themselves mobilised and cleared the area that was identified for the construction.

The school is expected to be completed before the end of the year, however, Bradford said that they are not waiting completion to begin classes.

“A good Samaritan, Azim Baksh, has a structure up for sale is the same area and he has offered us part of the building to start a school for the children. So we will now fly across furniture from Waramadong, and in the new term, we should be able to start classes, so the children can start getting their foundation,” he explained.

Currently, they are trying to source teachers Bradford said. Due to the fact that there no teachers’ quarters in that part of the region, they are unable to send teachers from the Coastland. However, they are trying to source teachers from right in the village, with the necessary qualifications.

As it relates to secondary schooling, Bradford said that the region provides flight, uniforms, food, and everything needed for the children to attend the Waramadong Secondary School, and they reside at the school’s dormitory.

Another contract for the construction of a school at Kako Village in the Upper-Mazaruni was earlier awarded to K & P Project Management. To date, construction of the facility is 30 per cent completed. At completion, the cost will run close to $29M.

At Imbaimadai, construction of another primary school is 40 per cent completed. The contract for this project was awarded to J’s General Store and Construction, to the tune of more than $25M. The estimated time of completion for all three projects is four months.

Imbaidamai is a traditional mining community adjoining Amerindian lands, while Kako is a community of the Akawaio Indigenous Nation, consisting of some 700 residents. Iterinbang is also a mining community adjoining Amerindian lands, and has seen an influx of immigrants fleeing the economic crisis in Venezuela.

Additionally, Bradford revealed that one school in Paruima and one in Kamarang, are soon to be commissioned.