THE Ministry of Education has officially opened bids for contractors to rebuild St. George’s High School, which was ravaged by a fire earlier this year.

According to an invitation for bids (IFB) issued by the Ministry of Education and published by several print and online media platforms, reputable contractors are being sought to reconstruct and furnish the school.

Bids for the project are to be submitted by May 11, 2023 at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office.

According to the IFB, bidding will be conducted through the National Committee Bidding (NCB) procedures, as specified in the Procurement Act 2003 and Regulations 2004.

No estimated cost for the project has yet been released; however, some $12.4 billion was allocated to the ministry for the construction, rehabilitation, extension, and maintenance of education facilities across the country in the 2023 national budget.

On July 20, 2022, a fire confirmed to be of electrical origin ravaged the St. George’s High.

The Guyana Fire Service later revealed in a report that a nonfunctioning electrical outlet at the school caused the fire.

The fire had begun in the Social Studies Department on the northeastern wall of the institution.

Some 421 students were displaced. The fire was the third at a secondary school in less than two years. The North Ruimveldt Multilateral School in Georgetown went up in flames in June 2021, while the Mabaruma Secondary School in Region One was also destroyed by fire in September 2021. Meanwhile, the Christ Church Secondary School was razed by fire earlier this year.

According to one news report, over 220 students were placed at new schools after the Ministry of Education (MoE) facilitated the move. No new students were placed at this school following the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results.

Grade Six pupils are placed in a secondary school based on their performance at the NGSA.