President Irfaan Ali has described the commissioning of the new Brickdam Secondary School as part of the “concrete actions” being undertaken by his Government to transform the Education Sector.

The new school building was commissioned on Monday afternoon where the former St. Mary’s Secondary once stood on Brickdam.

The new school was built at a cost of $560.7 million, and will be able to accomodate 600 students.

It has more than 20 classrooms including Science, Technology, Home Economics and Industrial Arts facilities.

“The construction of this school represents another installment in the efforts we are making to improve educational access, attainment and quality all across our country. And that is why today we say without fear of successful contradiction, education is in safe hands. It is in good hands and it is moving in the right direction,” the President said.

He also said since 2020 his Administration has embarked on a journey to transform secondary education across the country.

“Our goal is clear, bold and unyielding. By September 26 we will achieve universal secondary education. That is, every single child will have secondary education. That means every child whether in the bustling streets of Georgetown or the remote villages of the hinterland, will have access to secondary schooling. This is a promise that we made, it is a promise on the brink of being realized,” the President said.

Ali, who is seeking re-election, said going forward emphasis will be placed on sports and recreational activities to support academic education. He said he wants to see an education system that dedicates Friday afternoons to sports and physical education.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand said the Government has been investing heavily in the Education Sector with emphasis on infrastructure development to address the severe shortage of space in schools, training, educational materials in particular text books, and the school feeding programme among other critical areas.

“We are now at a place where children who did not want to come here are now glad to come but not only glad to come. We have another problem at the Department of Education, everybody wants to come to Brickdam and Christ Church and we don’t have space for that. We have to say gently no thanks,” she said.

Alluding to the ongoing efforts to have almost 100% of the teachers in the public education system trained, the Education Minister said in the case of Brickdam Secondary, the school has a total of 51 teachers with 25 of them being full trained and the remainder in current training.

Headteacher of Brickdam Secondary, Yvette McBean-Hawker said the new edifice is more than just a structure of concrete and steel, but it is also a symbol of progress for the school.

“It reflects our nation’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that every child has access to equal education in a safe, modern and inclusive environment. This day stands as a testament to what vision, partnership and perseverance can achieve,” McBean-Hawker said.

She said for decades, Brickdam Secondary School has served as a beacon of education, discipline and opportunity for students.

The previous school building was closed down a few years ago because of its dilapidated state. Students were transferred to other secondary schools at the time.

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