The new $515 million Sister Hazel Campayne Block was on Tuesday commissioned at the St Rose’s High School by Minister of Education Priya Manickchand.
While giving the keynote address, Minister Manickchand said that the fact that the block is named after Sister Hazel displays the government’s gratitude to the many people who have been positively impacting the lives of Guyanese.
“Sister Hazel, this block is being named after you in recognition of what you yourself contributed. I would also like to ask the other sisters to accept this, as our thank you and our recognition of the role you would have played for decades in this country,” expressed the minister.
She also stated that the addition of another wing to another school demonstrates the government’s commitment to providing a conducive environment for both students and teachers to dwell.
She challenged the students to take up new subjects that are a part of the recreational curriculum, as they are now being provided with more modern and adequate space to expand their knowledge.
“Even as we encourage you to excel in the main subjects, I would also like every child leaving this school to be exposed to at least one musical instrument, one foreign language and one sport,” the education minister stressed.
Meanwhile, the newly constructed wing itself contains an auditorium space, an Information Technology (IT) Lab, several modern classrooms, and a washroom among other amenities.
In 2018, the initial contract for the block was awarded but due to challenges there was a grace period, and another contract was eventually awarded to a Chinese company.
One of the school’s teachers, Rayon Tobin, who was giving the background on the block stated, “In September 2021, a new contract was signed for the reconstruction of the very block we are seated in. According to a release from the Ministry of Education, the contract was awarded to Shandong Degian International. The project was scheduled to last for 19 months with a defect’s liability period of one year,” said the teacher.
The three-story modern block is estimated to accommodate 350 to 400 hundred students. [DPI]
