PM: Govt to adopt IBS to build 34 schools in Sabah, S'wak

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 14): The government will adopt the industrialised building system (IBS) to build 34 schools in Sabah and Sarawak as part of its rural transformation programme.

Out of the total, nine schools would be built in Sarawak and 25 in Sabah, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"The use of the IBS will help speed up the construction process of the schools to just two months and save cost compared with the current construction method which took up to two years to complete," he told a press conference after opening the International Construction Week 2012 here on Tuesday.

Najib said the government was also contemplating the use of the IBS to build hospitals and police stations in rural and town areas.

He said the move was also in tandem with the current norm among local companies which opted for IBS instead of the traditional method of construction.

Najib said construction companies involved in fishermen housing projects nationwide and housing schemes for second-generation Felda settlers were also encouraged to use this system.

Meanwhile, Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Shaziman Abu Mansor said the tender for the 34 schools would close next week.

"The project will begin next month and we will be able to gauge its success around mid-April," he added. — Bernama