Anis A Khan, second from right, managing director of Mutual Trust Bank , exchanges documents with Hasibur Rahman, executive director of Management and Resources Development Initiative, after signing a deal to provide education funds under corporate social responsibility to a school at Char Fashion in Bhola. Rokia Afzal Rahman, centre, former caretaker government adviser, is also seen.

Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) yesterday signed a deal with Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) and Sharifpara Temporary Registered Primary School of Char Fashion, Bhola to help flourish the school.

The Bank will provide funds for renovating the school and payment of two years' salary of teachers as part of its corporate social responsibility.

MRDI will supervise and monitor the progress of the activities.

The programme is a part of MRDI and Manusher Jonno Foundation's initiative with an objective to use CSR funds as an alternative social development support.

Anis A Khan, MTB managing director; Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI, and Md Abul Kashem, headmaster of the school, inked the deal.

Rokia Afzal Rahman, former caretaker government adviser and adviser to MRDI's CSR team, was present at the ceremony as the guest of honour.

Rokia Rahman stressed the need for widening policy support to encourage the corporate sector to come forward with CSR activities that directly address poverty and thanked MTB for joining MRDI in this initiative.

“Broad-based financial inclusion of poor and marginalised people should be recognised as an important component of CSR,” she said.

Khan applauded the role of MRDI in connecting corporate sector with the community and facilitating proper use of CSR money in addressing priority needs.

“MTB takes pride in extending support to education of deprived children and hopes that other institutions would also come forward to help further the educational requirements of the children of remote char areas.”

Involvement of the corporate sector in such development programmes can substantially contribute to the achievement of annual development plans of the government and millennium development goals in the long run, said Hasibur Rahman.

The school's headmaster expressed

his gratitude to MTB and MRDI for seeking out the remote village, which is deprived

of the benefits of all developmental programmes and providing educational facilities for its children.

The Daily Star/Bangladesh/ 16th Jan 2012