BALIK PULAU, April 24 — The Al-Itqan Education Centre in Teluk Kumbar near here is scheduled for completion in 2023 and will begin its intake in the same year, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said the education centre, comprising four blocks of five-storey buildings, would be built on a three-acre (1.2ha) site.

The Al-Itqan Education Centre will consist of 51 classrooms which can accommodate around 1,000 students, and facilities such as four laboratories, four meeting rooms, three multi-purpose halls and two prayer rooms.

"The proposed Al-Itqan Education Centre is estimated to utilise up to RM15 million in construction cost, and the Ideal Property Group, a Penang-based property developer, will undertake the construction,” he said in his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Speaking at a press conference later, he said the project had gone through a number of postponements in the past few years due to the process of planning and approval.

He said the proposed education centre was part of the compliance process implemented by the state government and the local council for the developer undertaking an affordable housing project in Bukit Gelugor.

"Since there are already sufficient schools nearby the (affordable housing) project site, we took the opportunity to assist the Al-Itqan Education Centre to realise their wish for the building block,” he added. 

He said several schools had been built under the compliance policy for the past 10 years. ― Bernama