DENGKIL, April 1 — The redevelopment project for dilapidated buildings at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Dengkil here is progressing smoothly and is ahead of schedule, with completion expected earlier than originally planned, said Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.

Wong said the project’s physical progress has reached 65.14 per cent compared to the original target of about 50 per cent in March, placing it 15.14 per cent ahead of schedule and approximately 70 days ahead of the contract timeline.

“With this excellent contract performance, we hope to bring forward the project completion date from the original target of Oct 12 this year.

“Based on current progress, we are working to accelerate it further to about 90 days ahead, but what is important is that the project is expected to be completed before the contract period ends,” he told reporters after a working visit to the project site today.

Elaborating, Wong said the RM13.3 million project was approved in 2022 under the Second Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to fully replace the old buildings, which had been classified as dilapidated and unsafe.

He said the project scope includes the construction of two main blocks — an administration block and an academic block housing eight classrooms — as well as a new preschool building with two classrooms and a conducive open hall space.

“Once completed, all facilities including desks, chairs and learning amenities will be fully in place, enabling teaching and learning to be carried out immediately in a more comfortable environment,” he said.

He added that the overall project also includes the construction of a new sewerage system and basic facilities, including furniture and learning infrastructure.

“Although there are minor issues involving coordination with agencies such as Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) and Air Selangor, we are confident these can be resolved through close cooperation,” he said.

Wong said student safety remains a priority throughout the project as the school continues to operate with staff and students present during school days.

“I observed that safety aspects such as hoarding installation and site management have been very well implemented by the contractor and the Public Works Department Malaysia,” he said.

On recurring flood issues at the school, he said improvements to the internal drainage system are being carried out under the project, while awaiting the implementation of a flood mitigation project by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) at a nearby river. — Bernama