4 years on: Bamia School still unfinished – Minister voices disappointment

More than four years after a contract was awarded to build a school in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), the project remains incomplete, prompting the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand to express disappointment over the delays. In September, less than 24 hours after being sworn in as the new Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Manickhand had hit the ground running with a side visit to the incomplete Bamia Primary School, where she had admonished the contractors over the prolonged delays. The $346 million contract for the construction of the Bamia Primary School, which is located just outside of Linden, was awarded to Statement Investment Inc. in November 2021 under the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry. The 20-month project had an initial completion deadline for July 2023. However, the project had encountered a number of delays with several deadline extensions, the most recent being in for the September 2025 reopening of the new school year, but this was also not done. Today, the project remains incomplete.
During her side visit in September, Manickhand had threatened to pull the project from the contractors if they failed to complete the remaining works in a timely manner. Providing an update on the situation during a GoMosley programme on Monday, Manickhand said the contractors have assured that only minor works remain. “Contractors there have not finished what they have to do. Up to yesterday (Sunday), the Ministry was there and there were some very minor works left to be done. But we refuse to take a building for the sake of taking a building, or a compound or a project, so that we can get photographers, if we’re not completely satisfied that the contractual obligations of the contractors are carried out,” she said. The Local Government Minister explained that while some setbacks are expected and unforeseen circumstances may arise, the delays with the Bamia School project are not acceptable. “This is something contractors across the country are going to have to understand, if you bid for a project you came and said that you could do this, at this cost, at this time and at this quality and you have to do it, and the level of tolerance by the people and the Government for people who breach those is really heavily reduced…there are always conditions sometimes that you’re willing to hear, [like] shipping took long or there was some kind of external thing which you have no control over but it can’t take as long as this school has taken,” she posited. Meanwhile, she expressed hopes that the works will be wrapped up soon and the students can benefit from the Government’s investment in their education. “They’ve assured me that they too want to get off the site, so I suspect and my fingers are crossed that even before school closes, we can get the children into school, but that would require them finishing the work that has to be finished, we’re not taking a building that is not finished. But I’m very disappointed in how long they took,” Manickchand stated. The new school is designed to accommodate a growing student population and will include 4-4 classrooms, a fully equipped gymnasium, an auditorium, a science laboratory, a music room, a library, smart classrooms and modern restroom facilities, all aimed at delivering a well-rounded educational experience. In a statement back in April, the contractor, St8tment Investment Inc, had said the school was now in its final stage of completion. With only minor electrical installations, lighting fixtures, and limited plumbing work remaining, the company indicated that the school was on the verge of being handed over. “The state-of-the-art facility is expected to be fully operational in time for the September 2025 academic year,” the company noted in the April missive, adding that an inspection conducted by regional authorities and the project consultant confirmed that construction is progressing at a satisfactory standard.
According to St8tment Investment Inc, since the award of the contract, the project has experienced several delays due to a range of challenges, including labour shortages, increased material costs, and unfavourable weather conditions. These setbacks, the company stated, collectively impacted the original timeline and contributed to extensions.