The Ministry of Education (MoE) has set the attainment of quality Universal Secondary Education (USE) as a major objective in its current Education Strategic Plan (ESP). The MoE is currently implementing the Guyana Secondary Education Improvement Project (GSEIP) with support from the World Bank to assist in meeting this objective. The objective of the GSEIP is to increase the number of students with access to secondary school mathematics teachers benefitting from continuous professional development nationwide and, to increase the number of students in secondary schools with improved learning conditions in targeted regions.
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The Project comprises of three components . The second component focuses on expansion of general secondary school facilities in underserved areas of Regions 3 and 4 including the construction of new schools and provision of furniture and equipment for these schools. The works under this component comprised the construction of 2 new Government Secondary Schools (GSS) which are:
- Westminster GSS, West Bank Demerara. In Region 3, a 1000 student school (Grade A+)
- Good Hope/Lusignan GSS. In Region 4, an 800 student school (Grade A).
The Government of Guyana, through the MoE, has requested Additional Financing for the GSEIP from the World Bank. A portion of the Additional Financing is to be utilized for the construction of a third secondary school, proposed to be constructed at Prospect, East Bank Demerara, Region 4. Initially, a third school was envisioned under the original project, but was removed in a restructuring in March 2018, because of the cost overrun due to inflation, design variation and currency depreciation. However, the need still remains and the Government is now pursuing the construction of this school.
The World Bank, has requested that an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) be prepared for the construction of the school. This will complement the already prepared Environmental Assessment and Management Plan and the Environmental and Social Screening Report. The ESMP is required to be prepared prior to the initiation of the bidding process to procure the contractor for the school’s construction and should incorporate specific environmental and social measures where applicable to address any site-specific problems, and, legal and institutional provisions. The measures outlined are to be incorporated in the bidding document which will be issued to the contractors who will be bidding for the construction of the new school. In this regard, this ESMP was prepared by the GSEIP Project Implementation Unit (PIU) outlining measures to mitigate the potential negative environmental and social impacts relating to the construction of the Prospect Secondary School.
The construction works proposed will generate environmental and social impacts common to this type of civil work, and which are localized, moderate, and possible to mitigate or prevent using standard methods. Anticipated potential impacts include dust and noise emissions, contamination from improper waste and hazardous material management, and risk of accidents. It is intended tha t these environmental and social impacts will be mitigated through the implementation of this ESMP. Additionally, the selected contractor will be required to prepare and implement a Contractor Environmental and Social Management Plan (C-ESMP). The C-ESMP will have to identify measures to be implemented by the Contractor to mitigate potential environmental and social impacts during construction. The C-ESMP will have to be approved by GSEIP and the World Bank prior to the commencement of construction.
The objectives of the ESMP include:
- To reduce environmental and social impacts associated with the school construction;
- To minimize risk to the community during the construction works; and
- To ensure Health, Safety, Security & Environmental (HSSE) obligations are implemented throughout project development and construction activities.
The ESMP consists of mitigation and prevention measures and programs considered necessary for implementation by the GSEIP, the Supervisory Consultants, and Contractor to ensure the proper environmental and social management of the school construction.