$199M Kopinang Secondary School construction to address educational needs

The construction of the $199M Kopinang Secondary School in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) will address educational needs in the community and ensure that students no longer have to go to travel outside of the region to access education.
The project will also support local economic growth by creating job opportunities and fostering community development.
This was disclosed by Education Minister Priya Manickchand during the sod-turning ceremony for the school on Tuesday.
Plans to establish the Kopinang Secondary School were set in motion last year, following Minister Manickchand’s visit to the Village where she engaged with local residents.
As a result of commitments made at the time, some 250 youths from the Kopinang village will soon benefit from universal education at the modern facility, which upon completion will feature amenities including laboratories, an information technology lab, and a library, among others.
The contract of works was awarded to Sheriff Construction Inc. following a rigorous and competitive bidding process, as outlined in the Public Procurement Act.
Sheriff Construction Inc. was recently awarded a $231 million contract to build a secondary school in Jawalla, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
These developments forms part of a larger allocation of $407,659,560 dedicated to constructing secondary schools in Region Eight and over $16 billion allocated through the 2024 National Budget for the construction, rehabilitation, extension, and maintenance of educational facilities nationwide including Monkey Mountain and Micobie secondary.
While the facilities are under construction, rigorous training programmes are ongoing to upskill current and prospected teachers as Government aims to achieve Universal Secondary Education (USE) by 2025.
Manickchand had previously explained that these initiatives are being taken to ensure that teachers and students can thrive regardless of where they are in the country.