Pre-fab school in Tuschen being built to address overcrowding
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, speaking to members of the media at the construction site on Thursday
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, speaking to members of the media at the construction site on Thursday

THE construction of a multi-million pre-fab primary school at Tuschen in Region Three has commenced and is anticipated to be completed within the next two months, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has said.

This was revealed, on Thursday, during a walkabout exercise in several communities along the West Coast of Demerara.

The school, according to the Head- of- State will address the issue of overcrowding in schools across the region.

“One of the big problems that we have here now is the existing schools cannot take on the number of students. So, they have a two-shift system for the students and we are trying to resolve that in a way that will create history in this country,” he said.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Education, some 250 pupils are attending classes under a shift system.

“We are trying to build an 8,000 square foot school in less than two months so this is a big task and we are managing this directly in a project management formula and we are hoping that in two months we can have a brand-new school,” he added.

President Ali noted that engineers will be adapting a new construction method that will see the facility being completed in two months’ time.

“We are hoping that once all goes well [in] two months we will have this project up… if this model works, we will use this model to extend schools around the country and have emergency buildings set up,” he said.

Ongoing construction works for the pre-fab primary school at Tuschen (Delano Williams photos)

The engineers and construction workers will be working two eight-hour shifts to complete the project.

“This is monumental task. It’s testing our engineering capabilities; it’s testing our labour force capabilities…but this is how we have to work moving in the future. We have to increase our productivity.”

Once completed, the building will have two main sections, one to house the administrative staff and teachers and the other for the pupils.

The compound will feature 11 classrooms, three male washrooms, three female washrooms, two washrooms for persons with disabilities, two staff washrooms, one headteacher’s office, a staff room and a kitchenette.

“A school like this would go out for hundreds of billions of dollars [but] from the bids we are getting, it’s eight- nine million dollars and we are trying to bring this in far, far less with labour from the community.”

To ensure that the facility is operable within the shortest time, works have already commenced to supply the necessary furniture and other supplies for the school.

“One of the things that we are doing simultaneously, we have the communities in the hinterland making the furniture so the combination furniture is made by the village councils. Toshaos, they are getting the wood, very sturdy hard wood furniture. So, when the school is completed, the furniture will be ready,” he added.

The president noted that the government is cognisant of the negative effects overcrowding in the schools can have on learners and it is for this reason, the government is exploring new methods of construction.

“We are moving very quickly on this because it’s a chronic problem here. If we have to go through the normal project cycle, a project like this will take two and a half to three years …We have to get the children in a school so that is why there is this urgency.”

He added, “What we have in some of these communities … is a high level of Venezuelan migrants and they too have to be supported in the school system. So, it’s putting a lot of strain on the school system in this region…”

The facility, he said will also create a ripple effect in the community with regards to job creation, infrastructure and other development.

“With this project we are bringing together the community labour, different agencies to work on a one stop kind of solution.”
He added: “We also know that there is further growth and we have to build beyond that …it helps us to centralise services, like security services because we are living in a different environment. Every school has to have recreational facilities, sanitary facilities and then we have to build transportation network around these hubs.”

With funding from the World Bank two new schools – a primary and a secondary, are also on the cards for the region.

 

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