GEORGETOWN – After years of delays and mounting frustration, the Ministry of Local Government says it will not accept the new Bamia Primary School in Region Ten until every final detail is completed to standard.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, confirmed that contractors are still finishing minor works on the $364 million facility, initially awarded to St8ment Investment Inc. back in 2021. While the major structure stands, she made it clear that the ministry will not rubber-stamp an incomplete school.
“This is something contractors across the country must understand,” Manickchand said. “If you bid for a project and promise cost, time and quality, then you must deliver exactly that.”
The project has faced repeated setbacks including material shortages, rising costs and labour gaps, forcing government to grant extensions well past the original deadline. There was hope the school would open for the start of the new academic year in September, but even then the building was not ready.
Now, with exams ongoing and the school term approaching its end, parents are anxious. The new school is designed to hold about 800 students and would be Region Ten’s most modern educational facility, featuring 44 classrooms, a gym, a science lab, music room, library, staff accommodations and improved restroom access.
Since taking office in September, Manickchand has held multiple meetings with the contractor to push progress. She said they too are eager to leave the site, but urgency will not replace accountability.
Government has signaled a tougher stance on underperforming contractors nationwide, with the minister stating the “tolerance level” for missed deadlines is now sharply reduced.
With fingers crossed, Manickchand hopes children can move into the building before the school term ends, but only if the contractor completes every outstanding fix.
“We’re not taking a building that is not finished,” she stated firmly. “Students and teachers deserve better than shortcuts.”
