WITH a new contract awarded to R. Bassoo and Sons Construction Company, work on the US$4 million new Good Hope Secondary School is now expected to be completed by April 2022, the Ministry of Education has announced.

The ministry, on Saturday, said, too, that the 120 Grade 8 students currently enrolled will continue to receive virtual teaching until the school is ready for physical attendance.

It was explained that in September 2020, 195 students were awarded a place at the school but the parents of 75 of them accepted an offer for a transfer to another school.

The remaining students were divided into five classes and were initially taught Mathematics, English Language, Science and Social Studies.

According to the ministry, the curriculum was subsequently expanded and the students are now being taught Information Technology, Agriculture Science, Home Economics, Industrial Technology and Health and Family Life Education (HFLE). Practical components of these subjects are done at Annandale Secondary School. Eighteen teachers have been retained by the ministry to teach the students virtually.

At the time when these students were placed at the school, it had been expected that work would’ve been completed by August 2021. Given the delay in completion, no new student was enrolled in September 2021.

The ministry in its statement noted that the parents have already been updated on the situation at the school.

“The Minister of Education met with the parents of these students on the October 1, 2021 and advised them of the recent developments. While parents were disappointed that the school had not been completed, they agreed that the virtual teaching should continue. Again, the Ministry of Education wishes to assure the public that it is working assiduously with the new contractor to have this school completed, soonest,” the statement said.

Some 75 per cent of the construction works on the school had already been completed when the students were awarded places in September 2020.

Construction began in October 2018 but had been plagued with numerous challenges and delays.

“It was hoped that the school could have been opened physically, but, unfortunately, there have been several setbacks with the physical infrastructure not being completed due to the previous contractor failing to deliver. The Government of Guyana and the World Bank then gave their no objection to having R. Bassoo and Sons Construction be awarded the contract to complete the school. It is expected that this school will be completed in April 2022,” the ministry’s statement said.

The initial completion date was January 2020. However, the contractor, BK International, failed to meet that deadline and was unable to deliver despite several subsequent extension deadlines.

In May 2021, the government terminated the contract with BK and announced its intention to pursue legal action against the company.

The Good Hope Secondary is one of four schools slated for construction under the multimillion-dollar Guyana Secondary School Education Improvement Project (GSEIP), funded by the World Bank. Thus far, only one school, the Westminster Secondary School at La Parfait Harmonie, West Bank of Demerara, has been completed.