Arabiyya School's new building deal voided after failure to reduce price

Education Ministry announced yesterday that the agreement between the ministry and the contractor, which was previously awarded the development project of Arabiyya School's (Almadhrasathul Arabiyyathul Islamiyya) new building, was voided after both parties failed to agree on a lower price.

Former administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih awarded the project to Amin construction on 29th September 2022, to build a new building for Arabiyya School on the land where the Jamaluddin School was formerly located. The project was scheduled to be completed within 420 days at a price of MVR 168.5 million.

However, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, after assuming power, decided that the location was in a traffic dense area, and moved the school project over to plot 381 where the waste disposal site was previously located in, designating the land as Arabiyya School's permanent location.

Speaking with 'Mihaaru News' regarding the current status of the project, a senior official of the Education Ministry said that after failing to come to a mutual agreement on a lower price for the project, the contract with Amin Construction had to be voided.

"The price quoted by Amin Avenue to construct a modern school building for a modern concept on a new land was MVR 70 million higher than market price," they explained the reason for voiding the agreement.

According to the official, a decision on the matter was extended due to prolonged negotiations.

"The contract was cancelled to move forward with the project in a way that would not waste public funds, after the price could not be sufficiently reduced through the negotiation process," the official further added.

The ministry is working to hand over the construction of the new building to a new contractor in the first week of October and start the work as soon as possible, the official said.

Although the agreement was cancelled last week, on 24th February this year, the government announced that the physical work of the project commenced and that it would be completed within two years. However, no work has been done on the land to date.

The Arabiyya School building, which was opened nine years ago, was evacuated in January last year after the pillars were discovered to be cracked and damaged.

After studying in the former Foreign Ministry building for sometime, the students of Arabiyya are now studying in the temporary building previously used by the Darumavantha School.

Complaints of the school's parents increased significantly during the former administration after students were made to move around from one temporary building to another. President Muizzu, during his presidential campaign, pledged to find a permanent solution for the problem.