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Published on August 24, 2007

"We have a record of at least 16 teachers who spent their entire salary on debt repayments on the salary pay-date," Deputy Education Minister Varakorn Samkoses said yesterday.

Varakorn said the teachers had a combined debt of Bt50 million, and came forward to ask for help via the ministry's hotline and mobile financial-counselling units.

The hotline has been operating for five months and the mobile units have reached more than 20 provinces already.

"From the record, about 1,250 teachers have asked for help. Their total debt is Bt1.9 billion," said Varakorn, who spoke after a talk with the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel.

Varakorn said the guidebook should be published before the end of the year.

"There will be about 4,000 copies. But we will also put the content on the [ministry] website," he said.

Varakorn said some state teachers had incurred huge debts because they had sought loans from various sources.

"After debt repayment, teachers should still have money equivalent to 30 per cent of their salary left for their living expenses."

Varakorn also vowed to look into complaints from teachers that the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel had introduced lease-purchase programmes for many products to teachers.

The Nation