School’s future blurred as building project stalls
The abandoned construction site for the proposed storey building at Arua Public Secondary School. PHOTO BY Clement Aluma
What you need to know:
The contractors are said to have neglected the project for six months, forcing school authorities to halt the process.
A committee handling the construction of a Shs1.3 billion classroom and administration block at Arua Public Secondary School has recommended that the project contract be terminated.
This is after the construction company in charge of the project abandoned work after only laying ground for the foundation and fencing.
The head teacher, Mr William Oming, said: “The contractor abandoned the site for six months, which has inconvenienced us but the project management committee has made its decision on the matter.”
But sources within the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to talk freely, said the committee recommended the contract’s termination on grounds of incompetence.
Congestion issues
The school, which implements the Universal Secondary Education programme, has about 1,500 students, some of whom attend lessons while seated outside.
This has exposed students to diseases due to congestion and the teachers do not give adequate attention to every student.
The school authorities had projected that upon completion of the project, the school would accommodate some 2,000 students.
The school has since been forced to operate in two shifts; morning and afternoon while also renting other classes from the nearby Arua Public Primary School.
The project manager of JW Opolot Company, Mr Richard Mwesigwa, said the company was facing some financial constraints.
“All the personnel that we need have been on the ground but it is the finances which I think are failing our company,” Mr Mwesigwa said.
The project supervisor, Mr Eric Candia, said: “We sympathise with the school administration but it is not our making. Our boss stays in London and we have always told him about the situation.”
