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Deadline set for completion of Mahdia Primary
Even as students and teachers of Mahdia Primary school, Region Eight await the completion of their new classrooms, a fast approaching deadline looms over construction workers, who were hired to facilitate the expansion of the building.
The new deadline given to workers to complete repairs and expansion works to the school is September, 30, 2013.
Yesterday, Region Eight Executive Officer, Ronald Harsawack, told this newspaper that he had contacted the contractor and had issued a new deadline for the completion of the job.
Mahdia Primary School.
“I have spoken to the contractor and even formally written to him informing him that the works done to the floors were substandard. The floor needs recapping. I had even instructed him that the work should be completed to meet the September 30 deadline.”
The expansion of the Mahdia Primary School, which is located in Region Eight, has attracted a great deal of contention, over the past months as members of the regional democratic body, pointed to several discrepancies within the project.
Approximately, $6M was allocated to construct a school in North Pakaraimas but the funds had been diverted to extend the Mahdia Primary School.
Construction of the building started last year October, and within, three months the project had been 90 percent completed.
However the contractor ceased work on the building, several months ago over default payments. The Regional Administrative office had owed the contractor almost $2 million. Kaieteur News understands that issue had been ventilated, but the work is still incomplete.
When the school recently reopened, students of the Mahdia Primary School were forced to occupy the incomplete building.
“Electrical wires are still hanging from the ceiling and the floors need to be recapped. The concrete flooring is dusty and the dust is affecting the teachers and the students,” Mohamed Gafoor, a member of Regional council said.
Gafoor pointed to the shortage of teachers and the necessary school supplies as just two issues plaguing the education sector in the region.
He claims that “not much has changed in relation to the school.”
“The infrastructure remains the same— the guard hut, the toilets —everything is the same, …The PTA can’t come up with the money to fix things because the organisation is poor. The region administration has to do it.”
Regional Executive Officer Harsawack, in an invited comment, explained that all the minor works to the school infrastructure and otherwise are catered for or included in the works programme.”
This newspaper recently reported on the massive shortage of basic but necessary learning materials which were linked to the poor performance of the region’s children.
However, yesterday, when contacted via telephone, for an update on that issue, Regional Educational Officer (REDO) Rabindra Singh was unavailable to take the call.
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