The Gambia Teaching Trust (GTT), a new trust set up to help teachers in the country, plans to give one million dalasi to the most outstanding teacher of the year.
Members of this on Friday the 5TH of May 2017 met with representatives of The Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) to discuss the Grand Raffle Initiative and collaborate for the successful marketing of a raffle aimed at supporting teachers in the country.
Mr. Ebrima Sonko, National Coordinator of the Trust initiative and Secretary General of the University of The Gambia Students Union, gave opening remarks for the meeting and deliberated on the purpose of establishment of the Gambia Teaching Trust. According to Mr. Sonko, The Gambia Teaching Trust is a charitable organisation established in April 2014 to reward, recognise and appreciate the efforts of teachers and teaching in The Gambia. He also asserted that this organisation hopes to support teachers in a variety of ways, one of which includes a National Teacher Prize Ceremony in which the most outstanding teacher of the year shall be awarded with a cash prize of One Million Dalasis, the maiden edition expected to hold January 2018.
This being the tip of the iceberg, the charity is further setting up a trust fund by embarking on a Raffle initiative of sophisticated gadgets (iPhone 7, Apple MacBook Pro, IPad Air Two and lots of bags of rice) and the proceeds of this initiative will be deposited in the trust fund to entirely support teachers who need emergency assistance, added Mr. Sonko.
“Cognizant of the role the GTU plays in the teaching profession in The Gambia, the rationale underlying our meeting with your office is centered on how to make the raffle tickets available to all students and teachers to buy in support of those who shape our future”, he concluded.
The Marketing Manager of the Gambia Teaching Trust, Mr. Sheikh Hydara commended the efforts of the GTU for the immense contributions they continue to render in advancing the interests and welfare of teachers in The Gambia.
In this regard, he informed the meeting that 5,000 tickets are already printed and available for sale at different locations for D50 only. Essentially, Mr. Hydara suggested to officials of the GTU that 2,750 tickets will be given to the GTU as agreed upon by his team to be distributed amongst the various regions, specifically the Greater Banjul Area (GBA) due to its large concentration of schools.
“I’ll buy the tickets and make sure everyone in my life does too because this is a great initiative”, says the Regional Directorate for Region Two. He applauded the Gambia Teaching Trust for coming up with such a noble initiative and pledged his support towards the fulfilment of its objectives. He added that he’ll bear the responsibility of distributing the tickets to all schools in his region and coordinate everything from his office, ranging from the sale of tickets to giving updates about the entire exercise in his region.
After welcoming remarks and expressing his heartfelt appreciation of the Trust Initiative and its objectives, the Marketing Director of GTU, Mr. Kongiraa assured the meeting that the GTU is determined and willing to provide human and material assistance where and when necessary. He commended the GTT for its massive contributions in recognizing and appreciating the efforts of teachers. “This brilliant initiative is for teachers; therefore the GTU will collaborate with the GTT to ensure that it becomes a success”, concluded Kongiraa
