By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Mercury International, the betting company, has signed a Le 5 billion project with the architectural firm Ideas Limited for the construction of an all-female school in Port Loko District.
The two companies signed the deal in a press conference on Wednesday, where officials said the construction project which would start later this month was expected to be completed before the new academic year in September.
Managing Director of Mercury International, Martin Michael, recognized how difficult it would be to complete the construction before September, but said he hoped that the public disclosure meant extra pressure for the contractors.
“We have been advised to go with these contractors because we’ve been told that they also work at night. So, it won’t be the normal eight or ten hours of work, rather, they would be working between 18 to 24 hours just to meet the deadline,” he said.
The project is part of the betting company’s commitment in 2019 to the Bio administration’s Free Quality Education program across the country.
As part of their commitment, the company initially said they would fund the construction of 80 classrooms.
The commitment has now been reviewed and the company say they have now added 10 more classrooms, bringing it to a total of 90 classrooms.
Michael said they chose Port Loko as the starting point because President Julius Maada Bio had already made a commitment to girls in Port Loko.
“Port Loko was chosen as the first recipient of our pledge, to fulfill the promise His Excellency the President made to the people of Port Loko when he promised them the construction of such a school,” he said.
The school is expected to have 22 classrooms, including playground, library and other facilities for the children. When completed, the facility is expected to accommodate up to 300 pupils.
Sierra Leone’s educational sector is in dire need of infrastructural development. Crowded classrooms across the country is a common sight in most schools. Education experts say this has had an impact on learning outcomes over the years.
The company said this construction project is part of fulfilment of their corporate social responsibility.
The company did not disclose plans for future projects, but the target is to complete all 90 rooms within the next four years. The project had stalled for almost a year since the pledge was first made in 2019.
Michael said this was due to the constant change in the design of the structure.
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