Minister of Education Sonia Parag wants the contractors to increase their manpower and extend the working hours so the North West Secondary School Expansion will be completed by the January deadline.
Parag conducted a site visit to the Secondary School in Region One (Barima-Waini) on Sunday, where she inspected the ongoing expansion of the male and female dormitories.
Once completed, the facilities will increase the school’s boarding capacity to approximately 120 students, especially catering for those in very remote communities of the region.
As it is, the shared dining hall and the male dormitory are scheduled to be completed by the end of November.
But with the school seeing a continuous increase in enrollment, Minister Parag wants the facilities to be fully functional by the new January 2026 school term. “…And we’re working with the contractor to make that happen,” Minister Parag noted.
“We’ve had a look; we’ve spoken to the contractor to ensure that measures are taken and taken immediately. That is, to ensure they up the manpower. That is to ensure that they up the hours, and while they do that, also try not to affect the students who are currently in the dormitory,” Parag said.
The education minister further advised the contractor to do the more disruptive work during the day and to leave the finishing touches, such as the plastering and painting, for later in the night.
The contractor responded positively, noting that all the materials needed to complete the project are on-site, and there should be no further delays.
Minister Parag reiterated the government’s commitment to providing across-the-board access to quality education
“We want to ensure that the extension for the dormitory is already open and running by the end of January so that we can accommodate these students. We are working with the contractor to make that happen”, she said.
The North West Secondary School dorm expansion forms part of the government’s wider plan to ensure all of our children have access to a quality education, and also paves the way for the country to achieve universal secondary education. (Department of Public Information)
