The Minister of Education Dr Ismail Shafeeu has stated that all classrooms in government schools across the Maldives will be equipped with air conditioners by September this year.
The Minister made the statement at a signing ceremony held on Thursday to hand over the procurement and installation of air conditioners under the ‘Cool School’ project to Fenaka Corporation Limited.
At a ceremony held at the Ministry of Education, the agreement was signed on behalf of the Education Ministry by Dr Shafeeu, while Fenaka Corporation Limited was represented by its Managing Director, Mohamed Najah.
The Cool School project to cool classrooms in government schools was launched last year. Under this project, 3,704 classrooms in schools across the Maldives will be air-conditioned. According to the Education Ministry, the contract to supply and install ACs was handed over to Fenaka Corporation for USD 3.56 million.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Education said the aim is to complete the work by September this year. The Minister revealed that 802 ACs have already been installed in 401 classrooms under the Cool School project by the end of May this year. In addition to classrooms, school halls will also be fitted with air conditioning under the project.
Noting that the timeline to complete the Cool School project is two years, the Minister said the project is progressing ahead of schedule.
"Many students and parents have requested for the project to be completed as soon as possible. While the original timeline was set at two years, our goal is to deliver and install all air conditioners by the schools by the end of September this year,” the Minister said.
The Minister further noted that the government is working to convert the energy used in all schools to solar energy as part of its renewable energy policy. Solar panels have already been installed in 53 schools, with further expansion underway in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, he said.
Fenaka Corporation Limited’s Managing Director Najah reaffirmed the corporation’s commitment to completing the project according to the new timeline. He stated that the corporation is also working to improve the electricity grid networks across the islands to support the increased energy demand.
The government believes that the Cool School project will create a better learning environment for students, and improve student focus and attentiveness in the classroom.