Classroom block rocked over council’s failure to pay contractor in Phalombe

By Grecium Gama

Over 120 pupils at Mwanyenga Primary School are learning under the tree following a decision by the contractor to rock down the classrooms over delay by Phalombe District Council to fulfill contractual agreement.

The fact of the matter is that the contractor was given part of the money before commencing the construction of the school blocks and he was promised to receive the rest after the completion of the whole construction exercise.

Upon completion, Phalombe District Council started playing hide and seek on the matter and this angered the contractor who retaliated by snatching the keys from headmaster and he rocked down all the newly constructed blocks at the school, forcing the learners to learn under the tree.

One of the concerned parents Mercy Chiona confirmed of development saying she noticed the development after seeing her daughter coming home dirty every day.

“She told me that they are learning under the tree and they are sitting on the dust a since their desks and learning books are rocked up in the classroom block,” said Chiona.

Chiona has since appealed to the responsible authorities look into the matter as soon as possible.

Speaking in an interview with likulezi councillor Noel Muzapitako accepted the delay of the payments pointing to the accounts department of the council that they are the ones that they contributed .

“The office of accountant are the one that make the delays and we managed to give him three quarter of his pay and today we will finish the remaining balance and hopefully by tomorrow student will resume learning in their respective classroom” said muzapitako.

The classrooms were constructed under Constituency Development Fund (CDF).