‘Private sector vital in developing education’

THE development of education should not be left to Government alone but the private sector too must come on board and supplement its efforts, Access Bank chief executive officer Joana Bannerman has said.

Ms Bannerman said education was the most important aspect in everyone’s life and that was the reason as a bank they felt compelled to contribute to the sector.

She was speaking when the bank donated assorted study books for grades 4, 6 and 7 at Palabana Primary School in Chongwe.

Ms Bannerman expressed happiness that the bank contributed funds through its ‘Employee Volunteer Programme’ (EVP) after identifying a needy school.

She said that the gesture would help solve some of the challenges the school experienced like shortage of study books.

“Education is the most important aspects of our lives and as a bank we felt

we could contribute to the sector. We decided to raise funds through EVP and our focus was find a needy school, the staff at the bank identified Palabana which lacked study books hence the donation,

“We want to be partners with the school and help resolve some issues that are making learning and teaching difficult. The books were donated to 3 classes. We have to come back and donate to the rest of the classes,” she said.

And Palabana Primary School head teacher Casper Kamoko thanked the bank for its gesture and said that the books would improve the reading culture of the pupils. He said the reading levels at the school were not very impressive because pupils did not have enough reading materials to promote efficiency.

“We are in need of a lot of things at the schools among them desks, because the school has high enrolment levels; we have more than 1, 500 pupils in need of desks. We are appealing to the bank to adopt us if possible, said Mr Kamoko.