Halaseh tours 27 schools in renovation project

AMMAN — Public Works and Housing Minister Sami Halaseh on Wednesday toured several schools, accompanied by a delegation from USAID, to check on additional classrooms built in schools in Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and Mafraq, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Halaseh said the tour included 27 schools, noting that the tender for the new classrooms’ project amounted to JD20 million, adding that the project is expected to be fully implemented by Jordanians, with a Jordanian contractor and Jordanian engineers and consultants. 

The visit aimed to check on the progress of the work and ensure that it is compatible with standards and construction codes, Halaseh said, adding that the project is expected to be completed at the beginning of the next academic year. 

The minister noted there will be a second phase for the project to establish six new schools and add classrooms to 38 existing schools. The second phase also implemented in cooperation with USAID, is expected to start at the beginning of July this year. 

USAID representative Isam Omar said the agency works to improve the educational environment in Jordan through the funding of the project. 

Omar said the cooperation between the Public Works Ministry and the agency helped speed up the work’s progress and boost performance.