The chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on education, youth, civic relations and community development, Marlene Mbakera, has expressed concerns about incomplete and abandoned capital projects, as well as the poor condition of schools in the Kunene region.
The committee recently conducted an oversight visit to the region, aimed at evaluating capital projects under the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture (MEIYSAC).
Mbakera on Tuesday said they discovered that several key projects had been abandoned, while others remain unfinished after years of construction delays.
“That is a big concern for us. The government invested money, yet projects have simply been abandoned. We have also learned that some schools have been demolished after work had commenced. This represents a waste of government funds, which is troubling, and it is precisely why we visit the regions,” she said.
She said that funds are allocated to regions for development, and urged better coordination between contractors and regional leaders to expedite the progress of capital projects.
“There is a specific purpose for which money is allocated to the regions, and when you visit and see that a building has been torn down because it did not meet standards, it raises concerns,” she said.
Mbakera added that vandalism also continues to be a major issue in many schools across the country.
Several incomplete, abandoned, and demolished projects identified in Kunene date back to 2015, including a classroom block at Otjikondavirongo Primary School.
This project was left unfinished, with construction only reaching door height as part of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework basic education facilities budget for 2014/15.
A total of about N$1 million was allocated for the project, with the contracting company receiving N$241 775 for the first phase before construction was halted.
Additionally, the construction of two teacher flats at Etanga Primary School was abandoned at the roof level in 2016.
Meanwhile, the demolition of the Opuwo Multi-Purpose Youth Resource Centre occurred because the contractor failed to provide proof of strength for the slabs used for the ground floor, leading the structural engineer to declare the site unsafe and order the infrastructure’s demolition in 2017. – Nampa
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