More than 75 percent of respondents to an opinion poll disagreed with a threat by a group of  teachers  to stop paying debts to the state-run Government Savings Bank.

Last week, a group of about 100 teachers publicly announced that all the teachers who are indebted to the Government Savings Bank will stop servicing their debts as of August 1. The move has drawn widespread criticism from the public – and even many teachers themselves – prompting the bank to threaten legal action against defiant debtors.

The same poll conducted by Super Poll during July 19-21 among 1,156 samples from different occupations and professions also showed that 82.6 percent of the respondents were supportive of GSB in its handling of the debts created by teachers, saying that the bank has been flexible all along to help the teachers by charging low interest rate and in resolving their unorganized debts.

76.6 percent of the respondents disagreed with teachers not servicing their debts with the GSB, noting that teachers should be a role model for other people in the society, should have discipline in their spending and should not resort to mob rule.

89.5 percent of the respondents agreed that most teachers had over-spent while  87.1 percent said that most did not pay their dues on time and 85.2 percent blamed the teachers of lacking discipline in their spending.

The same poll also showed that 72.5 percent of the respondents believed that teachers have the tendency to over-spend. And 38.9 percent suspected that teachers were involved in gambling.