SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAMME 1955

Mr Lim Choon Mong asked the Minister for Education how many primary and secondary schools have been approved for construction during the year 1955; and how many of these schools are expected to be completed in 1955.

Mr Chew Swee Kee: Because of piling and constructional difficulties encountered, it is difficult to separate the building of schools into quotas for calendar years. For the combined period 1952-54 the number of schools approved was 38 Primary and 3 Secondary. Of that number 10 Primary and 2 Secondary were completed by 31st March, 1955; the rest were all under construction. It is expected that 9 Primary and one Secondary will be completed by mid-1955, 12 Primary by the end of 1955, and the remaining 7 very early in 1956.

Eighteen additional Primary schools, and 6 Secondary schools have been approved in the 1955 Estimates. While work will begin on all of them in 1955, it is not expected that any of them will be ready for occupation before February 1956.

It is expected that the number of schools which will be finished and ready for occupation during the calendar year 1955 will be 23 Primary and one Secondary. These figures do not include an extension which will double the accommodation of one school.

The programme approved includes, in addition, the building of two Secondary Technical Schools. Work on these is in progress.

The above figures refer to Government Schools only.