The National Construction Industry Council and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at enhancing skills for artisans involved in the construction of classrooms countrywide.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Principal Secretary for Education, Dr. Mangani Chilala Katundu, said that he believes the ministry’s partnership with the National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) will help it to realize quality and sustainable infrastructure which is safe for learners.
Through the MoU, NCIC will drill builders of the ongoing construction of 10, 900 classroom blocks under the Malawi Education Reform Programme (MERP), whose classes will accommodate almost 700,000 learners in Malawi.
“The Ministry of Education has standards of what constitutes a safe and appropriate classroom and NCIC will provide us with the necessary support which will go beyond this project,” said Katundu.
On his part, NCIC Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Gerald Khonje, said the capacity building which they will artisans will undertake through this arrangement will not only have a positive impact on project delivery timelines but also on quality of the infrastructure projects.
Khonje added that they will also build the capacity of the artisans in areas of contract management, procurement of materials and actual construction, to ensure they construct buildings that can stand the test of time.
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera launched MERP project in February this year and it includes construction of 1,000 washrooms in primary schools across 34 education districts in the country.