Thu, 27 Apr 2017 12:39:36 +0000
By AARON CHIYANZO
THE construction of Fredrick Titus Jacob Chiluba University in Luapula province being financed by a loan from the Chinese Government has commenced and works are progressing well, minister of Higher Education Nkandu Luo has said.
The construction of FTJ University was put on hold pending negotiations on certain mechanisms before the commencement.
Prof Luo recently told parliament that the delay in commencing the project had been due to protracted discussions with the contractor ensuing from disagreements over the bill that was presented to the ministry after the designing of the university.
“When you contract works, there are certain specifications you give the contractor to follow in executing the works.
“In the case of the project in question, the contractor presented us with a bill that was too high, and it is in this House where we talk about prudent use of resources. If I had gone ahead and allowed the contractor to execute the works at that high cost, which was above the estimated cost, this House would have come down on me” she said.
Ms Luo however said in an interview with Daily Nation that the contractor was back on site and that works were so far progressing well.
And the minister also indicated that the original estimated project duration was three years but that adjustments were being made to that.
She said that even the universities that are under construction may take a little longer to complete than initially anticipated.
Ms Luo said that those who designed the universities used a copy and paste approach, that the ministry was now trying to come up with institutions that are worthy of the name ‘university’.
“Let me take advantage of this question to say that even the universities that are under construction may take a little longer to complete than initially anticipated because those who designed them used a copy-and-paste approach” she said.
