Labs directive: Regions have until June, says PM

Prime Minister Hon. Mizengo Pinda.

The Government has instructed all regions that failed to accomplish President Jakaya Kikwete’s directive for construction of three laboratories in each public secondary school to make sure that they accomplish the task before June this year.

Speaking in the National Assembly before adjoining the parliamentary session yesterday, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said that only three out of 25 regions in the country have completed the exercise by more than 50 percent. 
The three regions are Njombe  at 96 percent, Ruvuma at 81 percent and Morogoro at 53 percent, he said.

The Premier stated that the deadline for accomplishing the exercise was June last year but until then only three regions had over 50 percent  “There are six regions which could not even attain above 22 percent,” he said, listing them as Mtwara 21 percent, Lindi 20 percent, Tabora 17 percent, Dodoma 12 percent, Rukwa 11 percent and Kigoma 10 percent.

“I would like to inform all regions that failed to accomplish the construction exercise as per the president’s directive to finish before June. There will be no more additional time,” he stressed.

 Regional commissioners in collaboration with district commissioners and the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments) need to make sure they complete this exercise on time, he said.
 “You need to make sure that all laboratory rooms are quality compliant,” he said, intoning that this means that they use money channeled to them accordingly.

By December, there were 3,607 laboratory rooms equivalent to 34 percent of needs that were already in use and 6,249 laboratory rooms or 59 percent still being constructed.

On November 3, the government directed councils in the country to seek consent of civil servants before they deduct their salaries to finance the laboratory building exercise in public secondary schools before the end of the month.

Speaking during a fundraising event for the construction of laboratories for secondary schools in Bukoba, the deputy minister for Regional Administration and Local Governments Kassim Majaliwa said public servants should not have their salaries deducted by force.

“President Kikwete’s directive for the construction of three laboratories in each public secondary school by November 30 should not be interpreted to mean an automatic and mandatory deduction of workers’ salaries without their consent,” he cautioned.