MOE identifies abandoned school projects in bid to expedite reconstruction work

KUALA LANGAT: The Ministry of Education (MOE) is identifying long-abandoned school construction projects nationwide so as to enable reconstruction work to be expedited.

Senior Education Minister Dr Radzi Jidin said the abandoned projects could cause more damage and increase construction costs.

“The ministry is going around to see what is actually happening as well as to identify the obstacles that need to be overcome so that the projects can be resumed.

“This, abandoned school construction projects, is among the MOE’s focus for now,” he told reporters after visiting the construction site of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bandar Saujana Putra, which have been abandoned since 2019, here today.

As such, he said, the ministry would try to reduce all bureaucracies under the management of the MOE or other agencies so as to enable these ‘ailing’ projects to be expedited.

“For the 2021 projects, we will make early plans so that their implementation can be carried out properly and smoothly in accordance with the stipulated schedule… with the same mechanism and procedure, but with some matters where the period can be shortened with the cooperation of all parties,” he said.

Commenting on the construction of SK Bandar Saujana Putra and SMK Bandar Saujana Putra, Radzi said tenders would be called in the near future and, Insyaallah, early next year we expect the new contractor to start work.

“For SK Bandar Saujana Putra, about 55 per cent has been built, while for SMK Bandar Saujana Putra, there is only five per cent left for completion… we expect the secondary school to be ready by end of next year.

He added that SK Bandar Saujana Putra would have 24 classrooms while secondary school would have 36.

Apart from these two schools, Radzi said the ministry was also carrying out reconstruction work on SMK Langkon, Kota Marudu in Sabah, which had been abandoned since 2016.

-- BERNAMA