THE construction of the first boarding high school in Masaiti District worth K24 billion is on course and will be completed by December this year.

Site manager Zeng CaiGuo said recently when Masaiti Member of Parliament Gladys Lundwe visited the school, that the construction of the school was on course.

Mr Zeng said the construction consists of an administration, hall, classrooms, boarding houses for male and female pupils, ablution blocks, clinic, 20 teachers' houses, dining hall, kitchen and science labs and carpentry workshop.

He, however, complained that the foreign contractors like himself were facing hostility from the locals that wanted to get away with stealing.

Mr Zeng has been taken to court for defamation of character by a local person.

Mr Zeng explained that some local people stole some planks from the site and the security guard saw the said planks at the same man's house.

The guard, Mr Zeng and a police officer went to the man's house where the planks were but did not find them there.

He said the same man has since taken him to court for defamation of character and is seeking compensation.

And Ms Lundwe said she was happy that the construction of the school was on course.

She said she advocated that a boarding school for local high school pupils was constructed because the local pupils could not afford to go to the boarding schools in the area like Fatima and Ibenga Girls high schools.

The school is a fully Government sponsored project.

Ms Lundwe urged the Chinese contractor that was constructing the school to do a commendable job so that the people of Masaiti could learn from the construction company.

She also told the Chinese supervisors to treat the Zambian workers with respect and follow laid down labour laws.

Ms Lundwe equally told the local workers not to take the foreign contractors for granted by way of abusing the courts.