Bong County To Get US$1.5M Modern Secondary School
By: Matalay Kollie, Bong County Correspondent
Gbarnga, Bong County: With Support from the World bank, the Ministry of Education through its IRISE project is expected to construct a modern state-of-the-art Secondary School in Gbarnga, Bong County. The cost of the project is put at US$1.5 million.
The disclosure was made on Friday, October 14, 2022, in Gbarnga during the turning-over ceremony of a 13.5 acre of land for the construction of the facility.
The project which was designed by the World Bank and the government of Liberia through the ministry of Education in June 2019 is intended to provide equitable access and improve quality of learning in all secondary schools across Liberia.
Other components of the IRISE project include the support the expansion, renovation, and rehabilitation of one hundred fifty-six schools across the country and increase opportunity for girls to transition and to complete senior secondary school.
According to IRISE project control specialist at the Ministry of Education, Lawrence S. Taylor, under the first component, the project is targeting the building of three new senior secondary schools in Nimba, Bong, and Margibi counties; adding that those counties were selected based on their diverse populations and geographical locations.
Lawrence said Margibi and Bong Counties sites have already been given to the contractor company and will be climaxed by Nimba over the weekend in Ganta City.
Also remarking during the IRISE turning-over ceremony of the construction site, MOE Assistant Minister for Planning Dominic Kwame said the construction of the Schools in the three counties is in fulfillment of President Weah’s pro-poor Agenda for prosperity and development (PAPD).
According to Minister Kwame, the projects will be completed in fourteen (14) months; adding that the fourteen months duration is intended to dedicate the three projects.
Assistant minister Kwame also use the occasion to plead with Bong county authority and all citizens residing in the County to cooperate with the contractors to fast-track the construction process.
At the same time, Bong County electoral District-three representative, Josiah Marvin Cole has cautioned the construction company to consult the county authority before hiring any local contractor company; adding that local contractor companies who have misused previous monies intended for developing Bong County will not be allowed to work with the construction company under his watch as a lawmaker of the district.
Hon. Cole then used the medium to also caution the construction company not to listen to too many recommendations from political actors who may want to recommend anyone or a group of people to work with the main contractors.
Responding to those recommendations, a representative of the winning contractor company, Daniel Mhanna of “International Consolidated Contractors” (I.C.C), assured the ministry of education and partners to work closely with the community and Bong county authority to complete the project in the given timeframe.
According to him, his Company has done more than twenty-five projects across Africa; adding that both parties must abide by the rules and regulations of the agreement for the project in order to enable the implementation of the project without dissatisfaction to any party.
