Sod turned for $2.6 billion Christianburg Multilateral School

To address the long standing issue of overcrowded classrooms and provide a more comfortable space for students, a new Christianburg Multilateral school will be constructed in Region 10.

The school will replace the existing Christianburg/Wismar Secondary School. It is being built at a cost of about $2.6 billion and should be completed in about 17 months.

On Monday, Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips and Education Minister, Priya Manickchand turned the sod for construction to begin on the school.

The project is funded by the World Bank and will be executed by PowerChina Jiangxi Electric Power Construction Company Limited.

While delivering the feature address, Prime Minister Phillips said the new school will serve as a full education establishment, designed to prepare students for the future.

“This school will also speak to where we are going as a country.

“The true measure of our development is how well we prepare our people to lead and innovate,” the Prime Minister said.

PM Phillips told teachers of the school “your job has never been easy and it will never be easy.”

Nevertheless, he urged them to continue to teach well, create space for curiosity and above all else, protect the trust students place in them.

“We are investing in you without any condition. This is pure development in the development of Guyana and more particularly in the development of the people of Linden through this secondary school that will be constructed here,” the Prime Minister said.

Upon completion, the new Christianburg Multilateral School will accommodate 1,000 children. It will comprise of 35 classrooms, a multipurpose and agriculture hall, laboratories, an administrative block among other amenities.

The establishment of the school aligns with the government’s aim of achieving universal secondary education.

In fact, Manickchand highlighted that by the end of 2025, 22 secondary schools will be operational across the country and will serve both coastal and hinterland children.

“It’s not only about access for us. For us, we want to make sure once you get into those schools, that you have a higher quality.

The school, Manickchand said is the only in the country that doing a CAPE animated design.

World Bank Representative, Diletta Doretti, in her remarks outlined that now more than ever investing in education and the country’s people is vital in light of the current economic transformation in Guyana.

“This a catalyst for creating equity and job creation.

“…Investing is people is core of what the World Bank does and what Guyana is doing right now. Because investing in people is the most important investment a country can make,” Doretti said.

Construction of the new Christianburg Multilateral School will begin immediately.