The Supreme Audit Chamber (SAC) checked how the "Comfortable Schools" project is being implemented.
According to ulysmedia.kz, according to the project plan, the client was supposed to develop a unified design and estimate documentation (DED) and transfer it to developers so that other schools would not have to bear the cost of its development.
However, this was not followed through, as the development of the DED was shifted onto the builders. As a result, this led to an increase in the cost of developing estimates to 3% per school, or 45 billion tenge for 26 DEDs. It is reported that some schools were built without approved DEDs and positive expert conclusions.
Furthermore, auditors found that completed schools were purchased at a cost exceeding the estimated cost by approximately 36%, or 2.1 billion tenge more than the calculated cost.
"At the same time, the public procurement rules were re-approved three times, and amendments were made to them twice. It is clear that all this carries risks of failing to provide equal opportunities for participation in public procurement and of ensuring the transparency of these procedures," the statement said.
According to the SAC, of the 208 schools whose construction began last year, only 72 were built above the first floor, foundations were laid for 42 schools, the base was prepared for another 47, and construction was completed on only 35 facilities. In addition, unresolved issues are reported concerning 12 land plots designated for school construction.
Meanwhile, the client JSC "Samruk-Kazyna Construction" plans to hand over 98 comfortable schools by 1 September, and to build the remaining 110 by 15 December 2024. In total, the completion of construction of 217 schools is expected in 2024.
It will be recalled that the 'Comfortable Schools' national project is being implemented as part of fulfilling the instruction of the head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The project is planned for three years from 2023 to 2025.
For its implementation in 2023, 500 billion tenge was allocated, for 2024 - 976.3 billion tenge, and for 2025 - 909.4 billion tenge. In total, the budget plans to spend 2.3 trillion tenge on the entire project. However, auditors point to insufficient funding for 2024 and 2025. Last year, representatives of the SAC were also unimpressed with the implementation of the national project, citing non-compliance with public procurement rules.
Incidentally, the implementation of the 'Comfortable Schools' project was assigned to JSC "Samruk-Kazyna Construction". The company was tasked with deciding in which region and how many schools to build. "Samruk-Kazyna" was given the objective of bringing at least 740,000 student places into operation by 2026. Presumably, this will make it possible to eliminate dilapidated schools and the practice of operating in three shifts.
It will be recalled that earlier JSC "Samruk-Kazyna Construction" was suspected of lobbying for certain manufacturers within the framework of the "Comfortable School" national project. Almaty Maslikhat deputy and member of the board of the 'Guild of Furniture Manufacturers of the Republic of Kazakhstan' Igor Protsenko suggested that in the documentation, some furniture models matched the product range manufactured by the Pavlodar company LLP "Troya".
Later, Samruk-Kazyna Construction stated that it was not involved in the process of selecting furniture for educational institutions within the national project and reported that Igor Protsenko's statement defames the company's reputation. The deputy, in turn, gave a comment to the editors of FBRK, in which he refuted the arguments of Samruk-Kazyna Construction.
And even later, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Atameken" stated that the President's instructions were being ignored during the construction of comfortable schools. The National Chamber of Entrepreneurs noted that furniture manufacturers faced difficulties due to the lack of clear technical specifications for furniture products.