Nearly four years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, the long-anticipated Bamia Primary School in Region Ten remains incomplete — despite promises, extensions, and intensifying public pressure.
What was envisioned as a flagship educational facility to serve more than 800 students has instead become a national symbol of delays and dysfunction. Now, with yet another deadline looming, the government is ramping up pressure on the contractors, who are accused of falling well behind schedule despite receiving significant public funding.
The contract — worth over GY$346 million — was awarded in November 2021 to St8tment Investment Inc., a company with no previous experience in school construction. The school was expected to be completed in 20 months, by July 2023.
That date has come and gone, as have subsequent targets in November 2023, mid-2024, and September 2025.
“Finish this or come off the project,” Priya Manickchand, new Local Government minister, warned earlier this month, calling out the slow pace of work during a visit to the site. “We cannot continue to have our children sit on benches three and four to one, while a brand-new school is sitting here empty.”
Mounting Pressure and Ministerial Oversight
Since taking office earlier this month, Manickchand has made the completion of the Bamia Primary School a top priority.
In a Facebook update posted Sunday, the Minister offered a candid assessment of progress:
“Two weeks in: civil works still slower than are required to meet the deadline but simultaneous work is happening to prepare for earliest occupation. Contractors are loved and we want to see them flourish and that is manifested by their receipt of work, but they have to love the children and citizens we have sworn to serve in the same way. Nothing less is acceptable.”
She added that daily project management has now become part of the government’s strategy to ensure the school’s completion.
The post was accompanied by photos of workers inside the building. According to sources close to the project, the new internal deadline is mid-October 2025 for student occupation, with full project completion expected shortly after.
The Minister also reportedly put contractors Rawle Ferguson and Kerwin Bollers of St8tment Investment Inc. on formal notice: meet the deadline, or risk having the contract terminated.
Excuses, Extensions — But Few Results
For the past two years, the contractors have cited a list of reasons for delays — from shortages of materials and labor to weather challenges and rising costs. But these explanations have not satisfied Linden residents who say their children continue to suffer in overcrowded schools.
“Every September, we’re told the school will open. Every term, there’s a new excuse,” said one parent, speaking anonymously. “Meanwhile, our children are still being packed like sardines in other schools.”
The almost-complete Bamia facility includes a gymnasium, science lab, library, smart classrooms, and even a sick bay with showers. But until the finishing works — including plumbing, electrical fittings, and lighting — are completed, the school remains unusable.
Accountability Under Scrutiny
The government’s continued tolerance of repeated delays has drawn criticism — especially after the project received an additional $127 million in funding earlier this year. Many have questioned why such a major contract was awarded to a firm without experience in school construction.
A 2024 report in Stabroek News noted that the Bamia project was St8tment Investment Inc.’s first school. The company has not publicly commented on its missed deadlines.
“Some of these delays are understandable,” one education official said. “But a lot of this could have been prevented with better planning and more competent contractors.”
Still Waiting
Even with a renewed push from the Ministry and a new target in place, community skepticism remains high. Parents and educators in Region 10 have now endured over two years of shifting promises and unfinished construction.
“People deserve answers,” said one Region 10 parent. “And our children deserve better than empty promises and unfinished buildings.”
Whether or not mid-October becomes the long-awaited turning point for the Bamia Primary School remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the patience of the community — and of the Ministry — is wearing thin.
“Bamia Primary WILL finish,” Minister Manickchand declared in her Facebook post. With the school now a matter of national attention and political credibility, she may have no choice but to make good on that promise.
