Works minister visits school project

Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf, visited Jaw Comprehensive School for Girls, which is located in Khalifa City at the Southern Governorate.

The minister was accompanied by Corporate Municipal Services Assistant Undersecretary and Acting Assistant Undersecretar6y for Construction Projects and Maintenance, Raed Al Salah, Construction Projects Director, Mariam Amin and a number of engineers from the Ministry.

The visit aimed to inspect progress achieved in the project, which the ministry is implementing as part of the Gulf Development Programme.

At the beginning of the visit, a detailed presentation was delivered, highlighting the construction phases involved in the project and the process and procedures needed to complete work according to schedule and handing it over to the Ministry of Education. The project is now 65% complete.

The Minister explained that the implementation of Jaw School is considered a big challenge for the Ministry, considering the fact that the school is the first school in Bahrain with a model design that keeps up with the latest global developments in the field of educational establishments design. The school is the biggest government school in the Kingdom of Bahrain and comprises of different study phases.

According to the Minister, the school building has been designed while taking into account sustainability and green buildings measures, in addition to energy consumption rationalisation measure sand protecting the environment and natural resources; like shading, ventilation, heat insulation for walls and roofs and use of insulation glass. Also, energy saver electrical and mechanical systems are to be used in the school, in addition to energy saving and recycling systems, solar water heaters and water condensers for irrigation usage. Water condensers are expected to produce 8m3 of sweet water in rush hours every day.

Later, the Minister inspected the elementary, intermediate and secondary stages buildings. The constructional structure and wall dividers have been completed, while work has commenced on the external and internal finishing works.

The Works Ministry has prepared the designs and drawings for the project using its internal resources, as it is fully supervising implementation and managing the project. The Government has allocated a piece of land of an area of 50,000m2 for the school and a construction area of 26,500m2. The school will include all three study phases; elementary, intermediate and secondary phases and will accommodate 1440 students. The four-storey school comprises 44 classrooms and state-of-the-art multifunctional sports hall, in addition to multi-purpose laboratories for science, computer, home sciences, and physics, in addition to a library, stores, a guard room, offices for the teaching and administrative faculty and other service facilities such as toilets and store rooms. The Ministry has also taken into account implementing special facilities for students and staff with special needs and pregnant women. A parking lot for those with special needs has been placed close to the main entrances of the school, slopes have been provided at all entrances, in addition to the usage of non-slippery vinyl floors in all rooms, passages, stairs and steps. Also, elevators have been placed close to the entrances to accommodate people with special needs and appropriate toilets have been designed to serve this group.

Source: BNA