The construction of the new building of Arabiyya School will start today, Education Minister Dr. Aishath Ali has said.
Arabiyya School was run in a building on Chaandhanee Magu before it was deemed unsafe for occupancy due to cracks in the buildings' walls and pillars. The school was temporarily relocated to the temporary Foreign Ministry building on January 16, 2022.
The government allocated land from the Old Jamaluddin School building for the construction of a new school building for Arabiyya School. The school's construction was awarded to Amin Construction Pvt Ltd on September 29, 2022, on a design and build basis, for MVR 168 million.
Replying to a question by Mahibadhoo MP Ahmed Thorig on Arabiyya School in Parliament today, Minister Aishath said the construction of the new Arabiyya School building on the old Jamaluddin School site will start today. She said the concept drawing of the new school building had been finalized.
"The concept drawing of the building has now been finalized. The detailed drawing is underway. The detailed drawing will be completed by the end of this month," she said.
The minister said the school would be opened for the 2024 academic year if the work continues at its current pace.
The minister noted that the budget required for the construction of the school was not included when the budget for the year was first submitted to the parliament due to an administrative error.
"When the budget was first sent, we sent everything to the Finance Ministry. However, it was not included because of an administrative error. As soon as we realized it, we included it in the budget book," she said.
