The state minister for labour, gender and social development in charge of children and youth affairs Hon Sarah Nyirabashitsi Mateeke has advised teachers to desist from acquiring multiple loans from different financial institutions.
The message of Nyirabashitsi was contained in her speech to teachers in Kisoro district during the Teachers day celebrations on Wednesday where she was the guest of honor at Nyakinama seed secondary school.
According to Nyirabashitsi, there is much pressure, stress and depression among a section of teachers due to multiple loans, something that affects their performance at work.
She said she has saved many who were about to be arrested by money lenders.
The minister however appreciated teachers for the good work they do in grooming future generations.
She stressed that a big percentage professionals including her have passed through the teachers’ hands and it’s from this that she said that they deserve much respect.
According to Matate Alex, the chairperson of UNATU in Kisoro, UNATU has started a campaign to encourage teachers to avoid multiple borrowing. At the beginning of this term over 30 teachers were about to be arrested but Matata and DEO bargained with the lenders to halt the arrest.
Nuwe Dan, the chairperson of the secondary head teachers association, told his teachers to borrow purposefully.
“Government borrows money from the IMF, World Bank everywhere, why shouldn’t you borrow? The purpose of borrowing matters, if you have a student at metropolitan and is paying one million and you’re earning three hundred thousand can you pay? Go and borrow”, Nuwe said.
The Kisoro district LC5 chairperson Abel Bizimana said the government is putting teachers in perpetual poverty by paying them little salary. He said this causes teachers to acquire multiple salaries after finishing the whole salary even before it is put on accounts.
Bizimana says that this is affecting the performance of civil servants.
Mwunvaneza Emmanuel the district education officer asked the parliament to always remember the teachers when they are bargaining for salaries in parliament.
