MFA Press Statement: Inauguration of Ghaazee School in the Maldives, 25 October 2007

President S R Nathan and President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives officiated at the inauguration ceremony of Ghaazee School on Hulhumalé Island in the Maldives this morning. Ghaazee School, an integrated primary and secondary school, was built by the Singapore Government and the Singapore Red Cross Society as part of Singapore's reconstruction assistance package for Maldives following the December 2004 tsunami.

The school, with facilities similar to those in schools in Singapore, was built at a total cost of S$8.6 million by Construction Industry Joint Committee and Singapore Piling and Civil Engineering. (Further details on the school and other projects under Singapore's reconstruction assistance package for Maldives are at Annex.)

In addition to the construction of the school, Singapore also provided customised training programmes for 19 Maldivian teachers. These teachers will staff Ghaazee School when it accepts the first intake of primary and secondary students in January 2008. The training was conducted by the National Institute of Education.

President Nathan is in Maldives on a State Visit from 23-26 October 2007 at the invitation of President Gayoom.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
25 OCTOBER 2007

Annex

SINGAPORE'S POST-TSUNAMI RECONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE TO MALDIVES

Integrated School Project on Hulhumalé Island

1 The integrated primary and secondary school, named Ghaazee School by Maldives, was built at a cost of S$8.6 million which is co-funded by the Government of Singapore and the Tidal Waves Asia Fund managed by the Singapore Red Cross Society.

2 The school has 30 classrooms for 1,050 Maldivian students, as well as facilities such as offices for teaching and administrative staff, a multi-purpose hall, four science laboratories, a library, a computer room, a music room, an art room, and outdoor facilities such as a basketball court, a multi-purpose court and a school field.

3 The project team comprises representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Red Cross Society, Ministry of Education, Building and Construction Authority, Construction Industry Joint Committee, and Singapore Piling and Civil Engineering.

4 In addition to the construction of the integrated school, Singapore also provided customised teacher training programmes for Maldivian teachers under the Singapore Cooperation Programme. In February 2007, the National Institute of Education conducted a course on enhancing pedagogy skills for ten Maldivian teachers. The second course for another nine Maldivian teachers is currently being conducted from 15 to 26 October 2007. These teachers will be staffing Ghaazee School when the first intake of primary and secondary students is accepted in January 2008.

5 During the training course, the Maldivian teachers had hands-on experiences to enhance their teaching practice and opportunities to visit schools in Singapore for classroom observations. These teachers will also function as teacher-trainers to transfer their knowledge and skills gained in Singapore to other teachers in the Maldives.

6 The concept of an integrated primary and secondary school was designed to provide educational facilities for the expected population of 2,600 primary and secondary students by 2008. Currently, the existing school on Hulhumalé Island caters for about 700 primary school students. Hulhumalé Island, which is 1.3 km away from the capital Malé, has been designated as a second hub to ease the congestion on Malé and will cater for the resettlement of those displaced by the tsunami. The population size of Hulhumalé is expected to grow to 80,000 when those displaced by the tsunami and other Maldivians move in over the next decade.

Water Distribution Network Enhancement Project on Gan Island

7 In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, the Singapore Government donated a water desalination plant to the Maldives, which was arranged by Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Public Utilities Board (PUB) and Keppel Integrated Engineering (now known as Keppel Seghers Integrated Engineering). Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim officially handed over the S$600,000 water desalination plant on Gan Island, Laamu Atoll to the Maldivian authorities on 22 February 2005.

8 Subsequently, PUB and Keppel Seghers Integrated Engineering had laid a water distribution network from the Singapore-donated water desalination plant on Gan Island to the regional hospital, a school and a community collection point at a cost of S$585,000, funded by the Singapore Government and the Tidal Waves Asia Fund managed by the Singapore Red Cross. The water distribution network was formally handed over to the Maldives Government in December 2006.

9 Two Maldivian officials were also trained by Keppel Seghers on the operation and maintenance of the desalination plant and distribution network.

Training of Healthcare Workers in Disaster Management

10 In February 2006, the National University of Singapore trained 28 Maldivian healthcare workers in disaster management. These Maldivian healthcare workers were equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle medical and humanitarian emergencies, and disaster relief operations.

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