{Teachers that participated in marking the recently released primary and secondary school exams have expressed disappointment over the Rwanda Education Board (REB) failure to credit their bank accounts with all due wages related to the marking activity. }
Under normal circumstances, teachers that participate in marking usually get a down payment of 75% on completion and get the balance in the month that follow. The examiners, however, say they haven’t been fully paid up to now.
REB had agreed with Umwalimu SACCO to offer loans to teachers that participated in marking, an equivalent of 75% of marking wages.
Those who would get paid Rwf 70,000 as advance for arrears cash got Rwf 54,000.
Some teachers who requested anonymity told IGIHE that they got the SACCO’s loan as result of REB agreement. They however revealed their salaries of January were deducted to repay the loan that would have been met by REB.
“We don’t know the matter between REB and Umwarimu Sacco. Our January salaries were not released. We were told our salary has been used to repay the loan we took,” he said.
Teachers say Umwalimu Sacco assured them that their salaries will be released as soon as REB pays the debt they owe the SACCO.
REB, however, says that all teachers who participated in marking national examinations have been paid.
The Director General of REB, Gasana Janvier told IGIHE that they have paid all wages due.
“I am sure we have paid their money. Those who had related problems came to us and we followed the case with either National Bank of Rwanda or Umwarimu Sacco to identify what might have hindered money transfer to teachers’ accounts,” he said.
Gasana committed to follow up the case further.
“That propels me to investigate the case since you are the first to ask me such a question. I have never heard that. If I had, I would have followed up the matter,” he said.
The financial accountant at Umwalimu Sacco Headquarters, Sikubwabo Donat, told IGIHE that all transactions are computerized with an automated system that deducts any money owed to the bank.
“Because there were no cash deposits on the teachers’ accounts from REB or anywhere else, the automated system immediately recovered loans from teachers’ salaries,” he explained.
Sikubwabo however said that because teachers are their members, they can find a way of working around to credit their accounts until REB pays.
Leave a Reply