Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Social Development Goals, Economic Planning and Donor Agencies has expressed dismay over abandoned projects in some secondary schools in the state.
The committee also expressed dissatisfaction with the work done by the contractors handling the projects under the World Bank Assisted State Education Programme Investment Projects (SEPIP).
The Committee Chairman, Mr Ebele Ejiofor, who made their feelings known during an oversight function to some government awarded project sites, said the Commissioner for Basic Education, Professor Kate Omenugha, has been invited to explain the reason for the delay, despite substantive amount of money so far released for the projects.
Mr Ejiofor who led the committee members to the sites, also informed that contractors handling the construction of hostel blocks at Government Secondary School, Utuh, Nigeria Science and Technical College, Nnewi, and Government Techincal College, Nkpor, as well as the contractor handling the fencing of affected schools where works were not properly executed were equally invited.
The lawmaker recalled that Governor Willie Obiano administration in its first tenure, promised to ensure that schools in the state were fenced for safety and security of both students and teachers.
Ejiofor, who doubles as the Deputy Minority Leader, regretted that some of the contractors were yet to live up to expectations as nothing concrete were seen to justify the amount of funds released to them.
The House committee members wondered why non of the contractors showed up at the various project sites visited despite receiving official letters about the visit.
The committee however commended level of work at Girls High School, Alor, in Idemili North Council Area with less than 20 percent release of funds.
A teacher at Government Technical College, Nkpor, Mr Ifenanyichukwu Afulukwe, said the school had officially complained to the Ministry over the abandoned fencing and hostel projects.
The Principal of Government Technical College, Utuh, Mr Adolphos Okolie, also regretted the level of work done in the school and called on government to come to their rescue.
Another teacher at Nigeria Science and Technical College, Nnewi, Mrs Eunice Nwachukwu, noted that the inability of the contractor to complete the hostel block had adversely affected teaching and learning in the school.
