By Nicholas Bass
The Acting General Manager of the Gambia Teachers’ Credit Union and Cooperative Credit Union Mr. Dawda Kujabi has made some clarifications on the resolution passed during the general delegates’ meeting held last weekend at Janjanbureh in the Central River Region.
Speaking to The Voice, Mr. Kujabi highlighted that, the teachers’ resolution was aimed at providing teachers’ accommodations in Rural Gambia through the cooperation of members of the Gambia Teachers’ Credit Union and Cooperative Credit Union. Noting that D100.00 would be deducted from every member of GTUCCU annually within a duration of three years which is equivalent to D8 monthly.
However, he said some teachers would argue that it is the responsibility of the Gambia government to build accommodation for teachers in Rural Gambia, but GTUCCU is exploiting teachers in building teachers’ accommodations in Rural Gambia which is not a reality. Saying it is their collective responsibility to contribute to the national development of the Gambia which is for their brothers and sisters who are living in the classrooms and stores.
Kujabi cited an example of Bolebana in Region five, where teachers were living in classrooms and stores, but the GTUCCU through the cooperative fund was able to build fifteen rooms, toilets, and solar panels for the accommodation of teachers in Bolebana.
He noted that after when the monies deducted from every member of GTUCCU are collected, it would be televised and regional directors will be engaged for transparency and accountability where six to seven housing facilities will be built for teachers in Rural Gambia. He went on that few years ago members of the GTUCCU contributed D100.00 which amounted to D1.3 million which was used to buy one thousand chairs for Gambia College students.
He further highlighted that some of the members of the GTUCCU got retired from active services with loans while others have a very low savings. But with the recent increment of shares of GTUCCU from D500.00 to D1000.00, he affirmed that it will help their members to take shares plus deviance benefits which will help their members in any investment after active services.
Among other underwent activities, he said the GTUCCU was also able to pay one by six, teachers’ loans to their members and gave withdrawal which was estimated to two hundred D200,000,000.00, noting that in cooperative finance banking, accessibility is very important and this was why the GTUCCU is now operating with ten tellers with roughly fifty thousand accounts and they are hoping to build more operational intuitions across the country to meet the demand of the members of the GTUCCU.