Govt orders swift completion of school projects

SIMIYU: PRIME Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has directed the Prime Minister’s Office–Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) to prioritise completing unfinished school buildings across the country before constructing new classrooms.

The Premier issued the directive during his working visit to Simiyu Region yesterday as the government prepares for double cohorts of pupils to transition to secondary school in 2028, saying existing structures should be completed first to determine the actual number of additional classrooms needed.

“As we are all aware, by 2028 we will begin implementing reforms in our education sector. Under these reforms, the number of children joining Form One in 2028 will be three times higher than the number joining currently,” said Dr Nchemba.

He added: “I have directed the Minister for PMO-RALG to assess all areas with unfinished school buildings and complete structures built through the efforts of citizens instead of constructing new ones. That money should go towards completing buildings that have already been constructed so that we can determine the number of classrooms we need.”

Dr Nchemba said the expected increase will require the government to mobilise substantial resources for the construction of classrooms and laboratories, as well as the recruitment of additional teachers and other professionals.

The Prime Minister said the government will need to recruit more than 27,000 teachers to meet the increased demand, recalling that President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan had already approved the recruitment of 7,000 teachers earlier this year.

Dr Nchemba further warned regional and local government authorities against relying on a second selection exercise to accommodate pupils who have already qualified for secondary education but cannot be placed because of inadequate classrooms.

He said authorities should prioritise completing classrooms so that students can join their allocated schools without unnecessary delays.

“Let us complete the classrooms so that the children can go there,” he said.

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The Prime Minister also urged government leaders and public officials to strengthen expenditure controls and redirect savings towards priority development needs.

He said government institutions, ministries, departments and regions should review how they use public resources, particularly expenditure on vehicles, workshops, allowances and domestic and foreign travel.

“Where we can reduce expenditure, let us use the money properly and according to our priorities,” he said.

Moreover, Dr Nchemba said the government is taking urgent measures to address a sharp increase in cement prices reported in different parts of the country.

He said cement prices had risen to between 27,000/- and 32,000/- per bag in some areas, particularly in the southern regions, raising concerns among citizens who rely on cement for construction and other development activities.

He said President Samia had directed the government to take immediate action to address the situation and ensure that cement prices returned to affordable levels.

“The government is taking urgent measures to ensure that the price of cement returns to a level that is affordable and that every Tanzanian can afford to buy cement,” he said.

The Prime Minister said he had given government experts one week to prepare a strategic plan outlining measures to reduce cement prices.

He said decisions on the matter will be made within the week after receiving the experts’ recommendations.