The Bono East Regional Minister, Francis Owusu Antwi, has rejected ongoing construction of a dining hall complex for Kajaji Senior High School, citing poor workmanship and the use of substandard materials.

The facility, being funded by the government through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), was intended to provide students with a proper place to eat, as they currently take their meals in open spaces.

However, during an inspection visit to the school, the minister expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of work, pointing to the use of non-standard blocks and crooked concrete beams.

"We are not going to accept this work, and I have told the consultant that we are not going to sign any certificates for him. More to it, we are going to write to him; we are going to reject this project," he said.

Mr. Owusu Antwi explained that the monitoring exercise had given him the opportunity to see the work first-hand, and he used the occasion to send a strong warning to other contractors handling government projects in the region.

He noted that shoddy works would be rejected outright, adding that contractors must do things right or face the consequences.

The consultant for the project, Engineer Taufiq Modestus of Promacon Consultancy, agreed with the Minister's assessment. He indicated that the contractor would be brought back to rectify the defects identified at the site.

The rejection of the project comes as a relief to many who have been following developments at the school, although it also means students will have to wait longer for the facility.

For years, students of Kajaji SHS have endured eating in open spaces due to the absence of a befitting dining hall, a situation that exposes them to harsh weather conditions and other challenges.

The Minister's action underscores the government's commitment to ensuring value for money in the execution of GETFund projects and serves as a caution to contractors who may cut corners in the delivery of public infrastructure.

It remains to be seen how soon the contractor will return to the site to correct the defects, and whether the project will be completed in time to serve the students who desperately need the facility.