The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is carrying out renovations at several schools and constructing new classrooms. The work is part of preparations for the 2026-2027 school year.
Education Minister Dirk Currie visited four schools on Tuesday, September 1, to assess the progress of the work. They were Mulo Schotelweg, O.S. 2 Koewarasang, Havo 1 and Havo 4.
New classrooms are being built at several locations. Two of the schools visited are being fully renovated.
According to the ministry, more than 150 schools are on the renovation list. Of these, around 61 schools have been selected. The contract has already been awarded for 35 locations.
In addition, the ministry is working on the construction of one hundred new classrooms. The aim is to complete these classrooms by the end of December at the latest.
Currie expects the schools, including those in the interior, to be able to start the new school year on time. According to him, transport for teachers has been arranged and there are currently no payment arrears with air, bus and boat transport providers.
The ministry also intends to use digitalisation to partially address the teacher shortage. A pilot project is being prepared for this purpose in both Paramaribo and the interior.
Furthermore, the government will cover the training costs of future teachers at, among others, the pedagogical institutes and the Instituut voor de Opleiding van Leraren.
The ministry is also examining how all pupils can gain access to education. This includes looking at additional classrooms, temporary facilities and pupil transport where necessary.
Currie previously acknowledged that the maintenance backlog at schools is substantial. At the launch of the renovation project in June, he stressed that both the government and the business sector can contribute to improving school buildings.
