RIYADH, 8 June 2005 — The Ministry of Education is making arrangements to expand schools’ infrastructure and improve existing facilities during the forthcoming school holidays.
According to Deputy Education Minister Abdullah Al-Fowzan, the ministry has already contacted a number of contracting companies for the renovation, construction and maintenance of schools.
As part of its program, the ministry awarded a SR31 million contract on Tuesday to Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC), for the installation of air conditioners in classrooms. Under this contract 9,300 classrooms will have window air conditioners and 5,753 mini-split units will be fixed in girls’ schools across the Kingdom. The deal was signed by Abdullah Al-Abdul Sabhan from the Ministry of Education and Mansoor Al-Saadoon, Central Region manager of ZAC.
Saadoon said the delivery of the equipment will begin immediately and is expected to be completed within five months.
He said the project is part of a major initiative to replace old air-conditioning units currently installed in schools.
Recently the ministry unveiled a SR15 billion plan for the construction of 4,000 schools for boys and girls to be built in the Kingdom over the next 10 years. The ministry has allocated an initial SR800 million to buy 200 plots for the construction of schools in the major cities, Al-Fowzan said.
The financing of these projects will be through disbursements from the general budget; private sector funding and allocation of surplus revenue accruing from oil sales.
