Presidential deadline on desks supply intact

DAILY NEWS Reporter

MINISTER of State in the President's Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Mr George Simbachawene.

THE government has reaffirmed on June deadline for school desk crisis as fixed, calling on all relevant authorities to industriously meet the target line.

Minister in President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments), TAMISEMI, Mr George Simbachawene, reiterated that the directive issued by President John Magufuli and Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa was unchangeable.

“All district and council executive directors who will by June still face shortage of desks in primary and secondary schools they should count themselves failures,” he said in Morogoro at the weekend.

Official government figures shows primary and secondary schools in the country are facing a shortage of over 3,000,000 desks with primary schools having a shortage of 2,800,000 while 200,000 desks are needed in secondary schools.

But speaking in Morogoro at a meeting with district commissioners, council directors and head of departments, the minister recalled the president’s order saying it seeks to unseat pupils from the floor.

He said there is no debate on the presidential directives. All directors whose pupils and students still sit on the floor will be held responsible for failing to execute their duties.

“One way to address the crisis is by approving the use of forest resources to address the problem,” he told Regional and District Commissioners who doubles as Chairpersons of decision making units at district and regional levels.

The minister immediately cautioned the directors and commissioners to be vigilant of the forest resources permits for the undertakings.

Morogoro is facing a shortage of 73,972 desks in primary schools and 11,038 desks in secondary schools. Similarly the region is in short of 4,508 classrooms in primary schools and 352 classrooms in secondary schools. “There is still a big challenge in Morogoro all alone.

The region is reach in forest resources somewhat more than Coast Region,” he said. The minister warned over likely surge in debts owed by civil servants and bidders offering food service among public schools as a result of corrupt employment and finance officers.

“No stone shall remain unturned,” the minister said calling the on Regional Commissioner Mr Kebwe Steven Kebwe to start screening deceitful servants before it’s too late. “Accountants are a mere problem in the region.

You can be surprised a debt amounting to 25bn/- if audited it falls to 5bn/- we will wipe them out,” he said.