Multiple loans drive teachers to flee Nebbi schools
According to Peter Openjtho, the Nebbi Municipality Education Officer, the teachers left their posts without formally notifying their respective headteachers
NEBBI, November 27, 2024 – Four months have passed, and the Education Department in Nebbi Municipality is still unable to locate three teachers who reportedly disappeared from their schools, fearing arrest by moneylenders over unpaid loans.
According to Peter Openjtho, the Nebbi Municipality Education Officer, the teachers left their posts without formally notifying their respective headteachers. “We currently have three teachers who have abandoned their duty stations without any formal communication. Two are from Nyacara Primary School, and one female teacher is from Afere Primary School,” Openjtho explained.
He said an investigation has been launched to determine the whereabouts of the missing teachers, with the Education Sanctions Committee set to decide whether they will remain on the payroll.
Records show that a primary school teacher in Uganda typically earns between Shs 382,237 and Shs 1,759,337 net per month when starting, with this increasing to between Shs 576,480 and Shs 2,774,176 per month after five years of service, based on a 48-hour workweek.
Nebbi Resident District Commissioner Robert Abak spoke about the broader issue of loan defaults, attributing it to multiple borrowing and the heavy interest rates charged by moneylenders and microfinance institutions.
He noted that many teachers in Nebbi district are struggling with low salaries, and unable to repay their loans, and are now being pursued by creditors.
Abak added that some teachers have left the profession altogether to pursue private businesses, although some left teaching without settling their debts.
Joyce Amaniyo, the Headteacher of Afere Primary School, shared that one of her female teachers vanished in July after hearing that moneylenders were preparing to arrest her for an unpaid loan.
Suleiman Hashim, the Member of Parliament for Nebbi Municipality, advised teachers to live within their means and avoid taking on multiple loans.
He encouraged the teachers to explore farming as a way to supplement their incomes. “The missing teachers must be located and brought back for counselling, as many people in this country are facing financial difficulties,” Hashim said.
In response to concerns over exorbitant interest rates, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija recently issued a directive to Tier 4 Microfinance Institutions and moneylenders, capping interest rates at 2.8 percent per month or 33.6 percent annually on loans. This follows reports that some moneylenders were charging interest rates as high as 30 percent per month.
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