Over a thousand education sector construction projects on hold
Around 1500 construction projects under the “Nearest School is the Best School” programme scheduled to be completed this year have stalled as the Education Ministry does not have Rs 3.5 billion in funds required to finish these projects.
The construction of classrooms and other buildings, teachers’ and principals’ quarters, sports complexes, laboratories, sanitary facilities and aesthetic units are some of these projects. Renovations of existing buildings and other major repairs are also on hold.
A senior Education Ministry official told the Education Times the Ministry also had to settle bills amounting to a further Rs 3.5 billion for around 1400 projects under the programme completed last year. Final payments for these projects were yet to be made to the contractors involved, due to a lack of funds.
Since many of the contractors had financed these projects through bank loans, the official said the Ministry had planned to negotiate with the Treasury to provide loan concessions to the contractors after the upcoming parliamentary election concluded.
Meanwhile, the Ministry also hoped to negotiate with the Treasury on resuming the 1500 stalled projects. The Education Ministry source said this was important, as many of these projects were partially completed and the constructions would suffer if they remained uncompleted for a long time. – Damith Wickramasekara