Education ministry aims to finish 45 dilapidated school improvement projects this year

KUALA LUMPUR - The Education Ministry (MOE) aims to fully complete 45 dilapidated school improvement or redevelopment projects this year, its minister, Fadhlina Sidek said.

She said that 675 projects concerning dilapidated schools were completed, 99 were in construction process and 228 were in pre-construction process from 2016 till Aug 1, adding that her ministry was prioritising advertising tenders for 38 other such projects throughout the country by year end.

"It takes around six to 36 months for the entire construction to be completed for such a project, subject to its scope and the needs of site preparation works.

"Our commitment, especially where dilapidated schools are concerned, is very clear, we want to ensure our children really benefit from the school development project,” she said as a guest on TV1’s Selamat Pagi Malaysia programme today.

She also shared that school principals and teachers have been authorised to lodge reports through the ministry’s system to ensure that the Public Works Department can conduct reviews to ensure school facilities are safe.

'The MOE prioritises schools with facilities and buildings in critical condition (for replacement projects) on a scale of six and seven,” Fadhlina said, adding that redevelopment not only involved rural schools but encompassed all schools suffering from similar issues.

"Not everyone understands the context of dilapidated schools, everyone thinks they only exist in rural areas, but all schools have their own issues.

"This is a very important process, and we need to take care of the integrity and work process and at the same time, we want all projects to follow the set timeline,” she added.

The MOE had announced previously that the government had allocated RM6.5 billion for 2016 to 2023 for the implementation of the redevelopment of dilapidated schools throughout the country. - BERNAMA