Teachers warned over multiple borrowing
NEBBI– Teachers in Nebbi district have been advised to desist from the bad habit of procuring multiple loans if they are to remain strong financially.
According to the Inspector of Schools/ Special Needs Education in Nebbi district, Charles Lemiza, some teachers have fled away from their homes due to indebtedness caused by multiple loans.
“Teachers must regulate their loan borrowing because multiple borrowing of loans from briefcase money lenders has caused teachers to lose their jobs and others have fled their homes,” Lemiza said yesterday while speaking at the celebrations to mark World Teachers’ Day.
Lemiza added that some teachers have resorted to boda boda riding and other petty businesses so that they can pay back the various loans.
He urged teachers to access loans from one bank to avoid high interest rates charged by the briefcase moneylenders who offer clients a short grace period to repay the money borrowed.
Due to multiple borrowing from various financial institutions, it was said some teachers in Nebbi district have abandoned their profession and are now engaged in other business activities to make ends meet.
The West Nile Regional Chairperson Uganda National Teachers’ Union [UNATU] Innocent Onegiu said multiple borrowing has affected the performance of some teachers, which in turn has affected the general performance of pupils since teachers spend less of their time in teaching as they look for money outside to pay off their loans.
He added that over 70 percent in the district are demotivated to teach because they are servicing endless loans because of multiple loans borrowed; this has made the defaulting teachers to join the parish chief positions.
“We have been advising teachers to borrow loans that are half of their monthly salary but not to go beyond their salaries to keep their livelihoods sustainable,” Onegiu said.
Onegiu stated that some desperate teachers have surrendered their Automated Teller Machine [ATM] cards including the secret pin codes and the national identity cards to moneylenders.
However, Francis Andima, a teacher at Abindu Primary School in Nebbi Municipality, said, ‘multiple borrowing affects the teachers as they are left with little cash for spending, making it hard for them to sustain their families.
He said in most cases multiple borrowing happens when a teacher is a sole breadwinner in the home where he is expected to meet all the expenses such as school fees, food, health, and accommodation bills among others.
Nebbi district Woman Member of Parliament, Agnes Acibu who was the chief guest during the day’s celebrations held at Workers’ Sacco premises urged the teachers to be passionate about their profession and serve the nation diligently.
“Teachers are the engines of the nation and if we are the engines of the nation, we must love our professional and transform the society shaping learners so that they become productive,” Acibu said.
She implored the teachers to use the loans to upgrade their qualifications as opposed to spending the borrowed money on luxuries.
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