CRDB BANK THROWS WEIGHT ON DAR TEACHERS' OFFICES

CRDB Bank Managing Director, Dr. Charles Kimei (second left) presents a dummy cheque for 100m/- to Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Mr. Paul Makonda in the city on Monday, being money to be donated by the bank in support of a housing project for teachers. Looking on are CRDB Bank's Director of Marketing, Research and Customer Service, Tully Mwambapa and the Chairman of the project committee, Col. Charles Mbuge.

CRDB Bank on Monday donated 200m/- toward construction of Dar es Salaam public schools - primary and secondary - teachers’ offices.

The teacher offices’ construction initiative was a brain child of Dar es Salaam Region Commissioner after releasing a shortage of 402 officers for the city five municipals’ schools. Dar has 638 primary and secondary schools.

CRDB’s Managing Director Dr Charles Kimei said the bank has all reasons to contribute to the initiative since 69 per cent of its business comes from Dar es Salaam. “Teachers offices are the key infrastructure for the best performance of our children…we believe good officers increase schooling performance,” he said.

Dr Kimei said since the initiative has great importance not for Dar but also other regions as well, “CRDB prior to present a 100m/- cheque and pledged to donate 100m/- more next year.”

Also the bank said all branches, some 300, across the country will put donation boxes at their banking hall to that endeavor. Apart from the bank donation which will enable the committee to get 10,000 cement blocks, the CRDB staff, personally, led by Dr Kimei contributed 3.5m/- at the soft cheque handover ceremony to RC at his office.

“The first donation will support the construction of 40 officers in Dar,” Dr Kimei said adding “if the pace of implementing the initiative satisfied us we will consider to donate more.”

Dar RC Paul Makonda said should the bank contribute the second 100m/- their sure of constructing 84 officers. “This CRDB contribution has encouraging us [the teachers office construction committee] a great deal. It has inspired us to work even harder,” Mr Makonda said.

The RC said the committee time frame for implementing the initiative relay heavily on the ability of Dar es Salaamanites to contribute toward the project. “Dar has a population of 5.4 million people. If only one million donate a bag of cement, this translates to 28 million cement blocks,” He said.

The amount of blocks, he said, are more than enough to construct teachers officers plus police stations, school toilets, primary courts—between 5000 and 7000 blocks are building one teachers office.

According to the programme armies—Tanzania People Defense Forces, National Services and Prison will supply labour force and skills. Lack of offices in public schools is backpedaling efforts of providing quality education in Dar and whole country as whole since teachers have no places to seat and correcting and analyzing students’ performance.

Report shows that most are carrying students exercise home or seating under a tree for marking. This way failed to follow up closely a pupil performance. Uwezo Annual Assessment Report 2015 showed Dar children aged 6-16 are 39.9 per cent are competent in all subjects.