Minister of Education Sonia Parag has made it clear that she has zero tolerance for contractors who neglect their duties and fail to complete projects within the agreed timelines, except where delays are caused by factors outside of the contractor’s control.
During an interview on the Starting Point Podcast, the education minister said that during President Dr Irfaan Ali’s first term in government, the administration benefitted from additional resources generated from oil revenues, which were channelled into wealth creation through investments in education, health and other sectors.
“A lot of schools were built in the last five year and major projects and projects at a magnitude that we’ve never had before were taken on in the last five years,” she noted.
Parag explained that while hundreds of projects are typically executed over several years, the current administration embarked on double that number within a single year. This, she said, resulted in some projects rolling over even as new ones commenced.
“And out of that, you have a minimal figure that is lagging behind, especially in the education sector,” the minister stated.
Minister Parag noted that she has already visited several schools under construction and will continue to visit other locations.
“In terms of the lagging behind, I have made it clear that…if you are beyond your timeline and extension that has been granted, we’re not looking to grant another extension. We’re actually looking to put measures in place to ensure that you complete this and complete it now, within a timely manner, within that extension, because we have children who have to benefit from that,” Parag stated.
The minister emphasised that the overarching objective is the timely delivery of projects so that citizens benefit as intended.
She then pointed to her visit to the multi-million-dollar North West Secondary School, where construction of the dormitory is ongoing. The minister said she has instructed the contractor to complete the works by March, allowing students to occupy the facility for the final term of the school year.
“So, I told them, they have to up their manpower, and they have to up their hours. Unfortunately, it will cause a bit of a discomfort, but it will be finished in a shorter time than if we didn’t do it correctly, and that is for almost all of the projects,” the minister said.
Additionally, she warned that where projects continue to lag without resolution, the government will move to explore legal options.
“And that’s something that we may have to do for a few of them, but we are taking a zero-tolerance approach, of course,” she said.
The education minister noted that regular meetings are held with the ministry’s projects team to review outstanding works and identify ways to complete them. She explained that projects are assessed on a case-by-case basis, acknowledging that some delays are genuinely caused by factors beyond contractors’ control.
However, she cautioned, “Now, I will have a zero-tolerance for it if it’s not outside of your control, and you’re just doing nothing about it. You abandon a site just because or the inordinate delay is due to your lack of will to get it done, or neglect, or whatever you want to call that.”
“But I’m not going to tolerate that, because we’re answerable to the people. We have been elected by the people, and it’s because they believe that we could deliver, and we have to deliver,” Minister Parag added.