New teachers' union pushes for proper budgeting

By Norman Katende

The newly formed Uganda Teachers Sacco Union has put its emphasis on helping teachers improve on their expenditure and budgeting and also making sure that all of them get back their ATM cards and transcript from money lenders.

ATM cards and transcripts are often left behind as security when taking loans from money lenders.

According to the union chairman Stephen Nabende, the move will help teachers concentrate in class and also yield better results in their exams.

“We are in a crisis and we need to do something, he said, “I can say that about 7,000 [teachers] do not have their ATMs and an unknown number have put their transcripts as security to money lenders.”

He added: “We have been able to employ a legal officer to address the issue on a shorter term but we are also having a long term plan of improving the teachers’ budgeting and investment.”

Nabende made the remarks moments after he was confirmed as the chairman of the union.

“The legal officer is trying to arbitrate in these cases as a means of teachers getting back their ATMs and transcripts,” he said.

The new chairman pointed that as one of the ways of improving standards in schools.

This was at the national teacher’s union assembly at Bat Valley primary school on Thursday which attracted all the 41 teachers unions across the country.

Nabende said that although teachers are saying that they are not getting enough money, there is nothing like enough but they are lacking basics of using it.

“Saving and budgeting is the biggest problem.

“Someone comes and withdraws money from the bank when he has no budget for it. This is what we have to address as soon as possible.

If adopt the discipline of saving, he reasoned, then they can be able to start growing investments.