NEWS: Bank lends a hand

CITIBANK Bhd, through a Citi Foundation grant, recently donated learning materials and equipment worth US$25,000 (RM84,830) to six schools in Kota Tinggi, Johor. In line with the bank’s on-going commitment to nurture the educational needs of young people, the donation was used to purchase PA systems, visualizers, LCD TVs, computers, laptops, whiteboards, noticeboards, dictionaries and reference books on creativity.

The six schools which benefited from the donation were SK Taman Kota Jaya, SK Bandar Kota Tinggi, SJK(T) Jalan Tajul, SJK(C) Pei Hwa, SMK Laksamana and SMK Tun Habab. Headmasters, teachers and students from the schools attended the presentation ceremony held at SK Taman Kota Jaya.

“Citi has always placed a high level of importance on education,” said Citibank senior branch operations officer Jennifer Wong.

Their happy faces say it all. Some of the pupils at the presentation ceremony.

“We are committed to using our resources to help improve access to quality education for young people, and are pleased to be able to support these six schools by enhancing their resources, facilities and infrastructure. This assistance is important as it will give students more opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills.

“We believe some 5,913 students will benefit from the donation,” Wong added.

Working closely with the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) and the Kota Tinggi district education office, the six schools were selected as they had been badly affected by the 2007 floods in the area. They lost much of their teaching resources and equipment.

“Education is a child’s greatest asset,” said Wong.

“We are constantly exploring ways for Citibank to play an effective role in helping students better equip themselves so that they, in turn, can contribute to the country’s economic growth and prosperity,” she added.