Sod turned for construction of new $585M Abram Zuil Secondary School

The sod has been turned for the construction of a new $585 million Abram Zuil Secondary School in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
On Wednesday, Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall and Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat turned the sod, signifying the beginning of construction of the new school.
Manickchand, in brief remarks, said that over the past five years the school had reached a state where it required heavy maintenance work, but no intervention was made, causing more than 500 children to suffer. She said the new school was scheduled to be completed next year.

The Education Minister said that she was looking forward to the new building, and explained that the Ministry was exploring several options to have the current students accommodated at other locations.
A release from the Education Ministry stated that Manickchand also said that it would soon be something of the past that no school in the region offered the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).
She said that there were a few regions where secondary schools did not offer CAPE and the Ministry was working to sensibly and effectively offer the programme in those regions. However, she noted that the exam must be introduced sensibly by ensuring the regions have all the facilities and teachers necessary to offer CAPE to students.

Meanwhile, Minister Dharamlall said that the new building would be a modern school and was a significant investment in the economy of Region Two, adding that the contract for the construction of the school was signed a few weeks ago and he intended to strictly hold the contracting firm to the contractual timelines. The contract was awarded to Builders Hardware and General Supplies.