School owners in Bukomansimbi cry out for govt relief cash

The government promised to release the money in a few weeks to help the teachers overcome the effects of the lockdown. However, almost a year after, the money has remained elusive, with many people wondering whether it will ever serve the intended purpose.      

The proprietors say that they are currently on the verge of losing their properties over failure to pay back bank loans they obtained to run the schools.    

Joseph Luwaga Kitayimbwa, the director of Kagololo Junior School also the LC V Councilor for Kagologolo town council, says that there is fear that many private schools could be attached by the money lenders.  

He explains that many school proprietors have unpaid loans obtained way back before the first lockdown was declared in March last year. He adds that they want to sell off their collateral, some of which include schools to recover the loans. Luwaga argues that while they had anticipated benefiting from the government’s revolving fund.

Grace Namutebi, the proprietor of Mother Care Infant School in Bulenge trading centre indicates that they are disappointed with the government’s failure to support them during such critical moments when they need it.    

Namutebi says that she stands to lose her three acre-piece of land to a bank that lent her Shs 6 million that she spent on preparing the school for the reopening when the government started relaxing the lockdown early this year.     

She has cried out to the government to at least intervene and instruct commercial banks to suspend interests accruing from loans advanced to private schools until they fully reopen for operation. 

Moses Bukenya, another private school proprietor reveals that some of them had also obtained loan top-ups from money lenders, anticipating the schools would fully reopen this year. 

Bukenya also says that attempts to benefit from another relif government program, Emyoga is also not yielding any results either. 

Juma Mwamula, the general secretary of the Uganda National Private Teachers Union, says they are vigorously engaging the ministry of Education and Microfinance Support Centre to sort out the bureaucratic tendencies slowing down the release of the revolving funds.