Paramaribo, Suriname, 28 September 2023 – The District of Para, on Thursday, saw the soft launch of a major educational project that enhances the net enrollment and graduation rates of the younger generation of Suriname, a country of more than 640 thousand people.

The soft launch of Suriname’s first school campus under the Secondary and Technical Education Support (STES) project that starts up the process of the full utilization of schools was attended by the President of the Republic of Suriname, H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, and the visiting Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) President H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser who is on the final leg of his official visit to the Bank’s member countries in South America.

At the ceremony - also attended by other senior state officials including Suriname Vice President, the Parliament Speaker and the Minister of Education - H.E. President Chandrikapersad Santokhi stated that the STES school campus is not just an infrastructure project, but rather, it is a development project for the development of the nation. "The Islamic Development Bank is an institution for sustainable development and more. It is not just a bank. On behalf of the People and Government of Suriname, I express my sincere appreciation to the Islamic Development Bank. This campus will train the people so that in the future they will lead the projects, in education, health, and housing," President Santokhi added.

The soft-launched major educational project is aligned with the blueprint “Suriname in Transformation”, which aims at providing housing and schooling facilities for domestic students pursuing academic and technical education tracks, thereby lifting the relevance and quality of secondary education.

The STES project comprises more than US$ 33 million of investment, US$ 30.8 million of which is financed by the Islamic Development Bank, and has established two school campuses, with upgraded educational and boarding facilities.

In his keynote speech at the launching ceremony, IsDB President, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, stated: “IsDB will continue to support the Government of Suriname in meeting the most pressing socioeconomic development needs of the country. The education sector is one of the major areas of focus for IsDB and we strongly believe that educating the youth and promoting inclusive education for all, particularly in the secondary and vocational education, plays a vital role in unleashing human capital and advancing the most inclusive and sustainable development.”

Following the ceremony, Suriname’s Minister of Education H.E. Prof. Henry Ori, and IsDB President, Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, attended a press briefing where the education minister while praising IsDB support in constructing and equipping the campus said that in a few months the top brass educational facility will be fully functional and running with qualified people educating the students.

Dr. Al Jasser, meanwhile, stated in the press conference: “The partnership that we have built is a long and successful one. Human capital is of utmost importance, and we are all learning together. Suriname has great potential in the human capital space. Convey our greetings to all the population of Suriname. We are here to deliver development to them."

The greatest impact of the project is the increased net enrollment and graduation rates of 5% for secondary education through new secondary schools with boarding facilities.

The educational project aims at strengthening Suriname Government’s efforts for youth development through increased equality in access to quality education and educational facilities, with a view to enhance skills and employment opportunities for students.

Under the auspices of the Government of Suriname, the country’s Ministry of Education Science and Culture in Suriname joined hands with the Islamic Development Bank for efficient establishment of the project facilities, while ensuring their environment-friendly and sustainable effective and efficient utilization. 

Under the STES project, two secondary and technical education campuses have been constructed with boarding facilities that can accommodate 1140 students while refurbishing boarding facilities in the hinterland. Major integrated project modules and related outputs also include training of teachers and other education professionals, provision of textbooks, manuals, and other educational materials, updating curricula in two technical fields, integrating basic life skills into the curricula, and improving the monitoring and evaluation capacity of the Ministry of Education Science and Culture.

By end of 2024, the project is expected to produce leading outcomes namely: i) providing access to quality secondary and technical education for 1,140 students; ii) accommodating 576 students with 24/7 housing facilities; iii) training 5,880 education professionals; vi) delivering 51,500 textbooks and other educational materials; and (vii) integrating basic life skills education into the curricula.