REPAIR OF 32 SCHOOLS
KUCHING: The state Public Works Department (PWD) has responded to a Facebook posting by one Tiong Choon Ting last February 19 with regard to the repair or restoration of dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
According to PWD Sarawak, Tiong’s shared post said that last year, the Education Ministry had spent RM100 million to upgrade 32 dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
“Most of these have been completed under the watch of the Education Ministry at an average of RM3.13 million per school.”
In response to this, PWD Sarawak said the repair/upgrading of the 32 dilapidated schools was implemented by PWD Sarawak with PWD Malaysia as technical advisor.
“Twelve schools had been completed with another 18 due to be completed by this April. As for the last two schools the tenders have been called last February 15. Work on these two schools was delayed because of site constraints,” PWD Sarawak explained in a statement yesterday.
Next, Tiong’s post had said that the RM350-million package for dilapidated schools was allocated under the purview of PWD Sarawak as agreed to by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government.
With this package, only 37 schools were listed for upgrading, the statement clarified, adding that the average cost (under PWD Sarawak’s instruction) was about RM9.46 million per school.
PWD Sarawak said that the RM350-million programme was of conventional or IBS hybrid construction system, and the scope of works included construction of administrative blocks, classroom blocks, hostels, toilets, dining halls, science room, resource room, special room (bilik khas), and workers’ quarters.
“The average cost per square metre is on the same competitive level as the one under the RM100-million programme, that is, RM1,744 per square metre,” they said.
A third point mentioned in Tiong’s post was: “As for the delay, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg shall ask PWD Sarawak to ascertain the reason for the delay.”
JKR Sarawak responded that they had briefed the Chief Minister on February 14 on the status of the implementation of the RM350 million dilapidated school programme in Sarawak.
