TTC designs approved four years after groundbreaking

Government has approved designs for Rumphi Teachers Training College (TTC) almost four years after President Peter Mutharika, then Minister of Education, Science and Technology laid a foundation stone.

During former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika’s reign, Saudi Fund, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badea) and another donor from Sudan, gave a grant of $34 million (about K1.9 billion) to construct three TTCs in Rumphi, Mchinji and Chikwawa.

Since 2011, there has been no activity on the site, a development that forced the President to condemn the delay of the project soon after becoming President last year. Mutharika said such delays threaten developments and scare away investors.

Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology spokesperson Manfred Ndovi said the ministry has approved designs and identified consultant for Rumphi TTC.

Ndovi said by the end of this year, the process of identifying a contractor will commence.

Asked why it took so long to have the designs in place, the spokesperson said there were issues the ministry needed to iron out.

He said Rumphi project is expected to commence next year once the contractor has been identified.

Ndovi also said the other projects (Mchinji and Chikwawa TTCs) will start later.n