Africa-Press – Botswana. Construction of a P51 million primary school in Sese has commenced.
The project is expected to be completed by August 2024.
The project has been awarded to two contractors.
Roy Kend Civils has been awarded the four double storey classroom blocks, one single storey classroom block, pre-school block, administration block, kitchen, ablution and paving to the tune of P34.2 million while L. M Serole will construct five double storey staff houses for P16.9 million.
Speaking at the project groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Jwaneng/Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile implored contractors to abide by the scope of work to avoid cost overruns and delays.
Mr Reatile noted that government was concerned by delayed projects and poor workmanship.
“I urge you to do your best and deliver a high quality project within time and budget without compromising standards. What you will deliver here will not only reflect on your individual images but will be a representation of Batswana-owned companies in general,” he said. Furthermore, Mr Reatile appealed to the contractors to employ residents, especially for semi-skilled jobs that did not require expertise as a way of reducing the unemployment rate in the area.
He also urged them to abide by the labour laws to avoid disputes that might hamper project delivery. For his part, Southern District Council chairperson, Mr Sonny Phiri, said in addition to reducing the burden for the other primary school in the village, the new school was intended to improve accessibility to education as the village continues to grow.
“Apart from the fact that Sese Primary School currently has a high enrolment rate and they are overcrowded, we also want to see declining incidents of learners who abscond due to the distance,” he said. Mr Phiri was optimistic that the project would be completed on time and within budget.
And Sese Ward Councillor, Mr Kgopolo Setammere-Ramosesane appealed to contract managers to ensure close monitoring of the project for it to be completed on time.
“Overcrowding at Sese primary school is a great concern. This is not fair because the school has to compete with other schools which have less enrolment rates,” he said.
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