NSSF VOWS TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST EMPLOYERS...

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) in Iringa Region has demanded that employers not compromise with employees contributions by doing so is against the NSSF law. 

Speaking yesterday during the meeting with judicial workers of the Iringa region, NSSF Iringa Regional Manager, Josephat Komba said that the fund will take legal action against all employers who have not submitted workers contributions. 

The aim of the meeting was to bring common understanding on implementation of NSSF Act between the two parties (NSSF and judiciary). 

He said all employers who delayed membership contributions will be sent to court for suspicion of delaying workers contributions. 

Komba said that the employers will be arraigned in court for causing NSSF to lose millions of shillings, which were the arrears of contributions they had to submit. 

He mentioned that the role of NSSF to collect all monthly members contributions, to register all employees from private and informal sectors to the fund, to make investments and to pay benefits to pensioners. 

Kombe further said that membership coverage also include all employees in international organization in Tanzania and all self employed workers in the informal sector. 

The scheme is financed through members’ contributions at the rate of 20% of employees’ gross salary. 

Contributions collection based on monthly gross salary at the rate 20 percent shared between the employer and employee. 

Kombe talked about some of the roles of employers include to be registered as a contributing employer, to make contribution deductions from employer’s monthly gross salary, and to remit contributions to the fund with one month from month of which salary was paid. 

However, the manager NSSF in Iringa Region said the fund also faces some challenges of low public awareness on the importance of social security especially from the informal sector. 

Other challenges are dishonest cheques, a cheque which the bank will not pay because there is not enough money in the account to pay it and late remittance of membership contributions. 

On his part, Iringa District Commissioner Richard Kasesela said the NSSF's decision to bring them to court was good, deserves to be implemented early. 

He said his office in collaboration with the NSSF Iringa Region would bring all employers to court due to their non-submission of staff contributions, which undermines the implementation of the fund's obligations. By Friday Simbaya, Iringa  

SOCIO-CULTURAL IS AN HINDRANCE TO GIRL CHILD EDUCATION

Girl child education, the universal remedy of poverty, family disorganization and societal true development has suffered several sets backs over the years due to socio-cultural and economic factors. 

The statement was made yesterday by the acting Kilolo District Executive Director (DED), Jasphone Mukungu who doubles as a district planning officer during the handed over 28 tablets (smart phones), to 24 mentor teachers and four (4) Camfed district committees (CDCs) respectively. 

He said that education is very important for every child whether boy or girl. It is sad that some communities still discriminate against the education of the girl child. 

An African proverb says, “If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we educate a family – and a whole nation.” 

Mukungu noted that by sending a girl to school, she is far more likely to ensure that her children also receive an education. As many claim, investing in a girl’s education is investing in a nation. 

He said that government in collaboration with other stakeholders were making sure that girls were not marginalized by the society in terms providing education, adding the government making sure the challenges that girls and women  face are no longer exist . 

He said that information is power by using the Smart phones by mentors’ teachers and CDCs will help reduce the challenges girls face in schools by recording child girl abuse because once the incident happen immediately will be reported to the relevant authority with evidence. 

The acting DED adding that by the end 21st century all the offices will be paperless that means computers and other technological devices like smart phones will used in recording data. 

On her part, the District Programme Coordinator (DPC) Neema Msemwa said the project of smart phones to mentors teachers by Campaign for Female education (Camfed) was aimed to reach twenty-five (24) public secondary schools in Kilolo district, Iringa region. 

She said that the main objective of enabling mentors teachers and Camfed district committees to make available the information of girls supported the programme (Camfed) is recorded in the tablets and later on reach headquarters of Camfed. 

Msemwa said that mentors teachers were given a five days refresher training held at Kilolo secondary school on the role of teacher mentor to support children and to live students and make them be open to teacher mentor. 

The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) helps girls from form one to form six and eventually join higher learning education for girls from poor families with the aim of eliminating them from poverty. By Friday Simbaya, Kilolo