Sod turned for $900M Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, on Wednesday turned the sod for the commencement of construction of the new Vreed-en-Hoop secondary school.

The school will be built at Crane, West Coast Demerara, at a cost of $900 million.

The project has been awarded to five contractors and will be executed in four lots.

Lot One will involve the construction of the sub-structure, superstructure, electrical works, plumbing, fire safety systems, and finishing for the administrative areas, library, and classrooms. This phase will be carried out by K&S General Construction.

Lot Two, which includes similar works for the science labs, mechanical labs, technical drawing labs, and classrooms, has been awarded to D&S Construction.

Lot Three, which entails external works, will be executed by Ele’s Trading and Hardware.

Lot Four, covering the furnishing of the school, has been awarded to PS23 Construction.

Manickchand stated that, once completed, the school will accommodate 500 children, meeting both their educational and technical needs.

The new secondary school is part of the government’s broader vision to close the education access gap, especially in rapidly growing communities.

Since 2020, the Ministry of Education has constructed five secondary schools in Region Three.

“In Region 3 we really need space that is conducive to…the children getting a discrete secondary education,” Manickchand emphasized.

The modern facility will feature 20 classrooms, a science center, and a TVET center. It will also be equipped with fire safety mechanisms, including fire escape exits, alarms, extinguishers, escape doors, fire-retardant panels, limited use of timber, and metal structures.

“That is how you show love, that is how you show that we mean it when we say that children will have opportunities under us, that we will make them competitive and we are preparing them for the Guyana that is unfolding,” Manickchand said.

The structure is expected to be completed within nine months, followed by a nine-month defects liability period for certain components to ensure quality and allow for any necessary adjustments or corrections.