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Heavy Loans disrupting teachers in Nebbi District

11 October, 2023
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Several primary school teachers in Nebbi District are dodging afternoon classes for fear of being arrested for alleged failure to service loans obtained from money lenders.


According to education authorities in the district, most of the affected teachers borrowed between two to three loans from money lenders, microfinance institutions, Savings and Credits Cooperative Societies (SACCOS), as well as commercial banks and have failed to repay.

Cosmic Wumula, a teacher explains that the situation has been made worse by the high number of mushrooming financial institutions within the district who lure teachers to borrow from them at high interest rates.

Consolate Among, a teacher at Nebbi Town Secondary School blames the problem on the current economic hardships coupled with the rising cost of living in the country.

Some head teachers said that the affected teachers now prefer teaching early morning lessons and vanish from the school compound before the loan officers arrive. 

Lauretta Orochi, the vice chairperson of Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) Nebbi Main Branch attributes the unbecoming culture to the failure of the government to prioritize the welfare of teachers. She notes that the teachers are forced to obtain multiple loans in order to provide for the basic necessities of their families because of their meager earnings.

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