A new school year and recurrent old problems will mark the beginning of classes in the state of Lara, and more than 350,000 students will return to classrooms amid shortages, absence of public services and a deteriorated school infrastructure .
lapatilla.com
Although the “Plan Maestro Bricomiles (Bricomiles Master Plan) began in the region on September 11th, which contemplates the recovery of educational facilities, this is not sufficient for the complete refurbishment of all the institutions in the state.
The problems in the public institutions of the state of Lara range from lack of workers to lack of appropriate spaces for the realization of most academic activities.
This is the case of the María Angélica Lusinchi school, located in west Barquisimeto, which has a total enrollment of 445 children, and although it has fully recruited the teaching staff, there is a significant shortage of workers.
As for infrastructure, this institution does not show its best face, as it lacks lighting in the classrooms and lacks desks, and so far it has not received attention from government agencies.
The few maintenance staff at this school showed up three days before September 16th to clean the spaces, but they no longer have cleaning supplies to continue with the work. This situation is no different in other schools where the conditions are not the most adequate to house the student community.
Bush overgrown spaces, deteriorated walls and lack of drinking water service are some of the common problems in a large number of schools in the Lara region.
Schools sustained by the will of the staff
The conditions of the María del Carmen Ramírez School, also located in west Barquisimeto, continue to be deplorable. The institution was built with zinced metal sheets and the students receive classes in these spaces.
Regarding this institution, lapatilla.com learned that many efforts have been made to make the Ministry of Education to construct a school, but the efforts have been in vain.
The students, who live in communities adjacent to the Florencio Jiménez intercommunal highway, entering Barquisimeto from the west, attend classes in small spaces separated by sheets of zinc, without a proper floor or spaces for recreation.
For about 10 years, the schools have not received equipment and the little that is sent, they say, remains among the tentacles of corruption. That is why the teachers have joined together to paint and rehabilitate part of the spaces, with the support of private entities.
Despite the conditions, students attend classes in shifts.
Neglected rural areas
The student population of the municipalities of rural Lara is the most affected. The educational institutions located in hamlets and towns are the least favored, since government attention is almost non-existent.
In these towns far from the state capital, they manage to sustain themselves with the support of representatives, who through self-management have improved the precarious conditions of the schools a little.
However, the lack of public services and furniture are problems that are difficult to solve with only the good will of parents.
The situation of teachers does not improve
The salary and work conditions of educators in Venezuela have not improved. That is why the teachers continue to demand that the Ministry of Education sign the collective contract that allows for an increase in salaries, as well as the reestablishment of benefits.
Regarding this, it was learned that the demands made on educators are that they work five days a week without any improvement in working conditions and salaries.
In the testimonies of educators, it was learned that the personnel who have joined since September 16th have done so out of vocation, but there is discontent on the part of all education workers.
Faced with this, they maintain that it is the responsibility of the Government to maintain the peace of the workers through compliance with articles 91 and 104 of the Constitution of the Republic. However, what they have imposed are dismissals and removal of directors and other staff, and replacing them with people who obey the political interests of Chavismo.
Threats and intimidation
It was learned that threats and intimidation by the education authorities in the state of Lara have increased after the presidential elections of July 28th.
A teacher, who preferred not to reveal her identity, commented that there is coercion by the education authorities, who threaten to remove them from their positions if they do not show up for work or if they protest their discontent with the working conditions.
In this regard, she details that they are required to work the full schedule five days a week and if they do not comply, they are threatened with being removed from their position or transferred without prior consultation and without respecting years of service.
Teachers in exile
The number of educators in Lara who remain under police detention after July 28th is not known for certain, but it is known that there are more than a dozen, who in addition to working as teachers, are part of political parties or some union organization in the entity.
Some of these education professionals, due to persecution, had to leave the country, while others are hidden, because they have received threats of arrest.
Consulting several of them, it was learned that they are not guaranteed a legal defense, nor do they know their judicial status, which is why they remain detained.
These educators had their salaries suspended for participating in protests of a union nature.
The issuing of a statement
The Union Coalition of Lara state, made up of Sutelara, Sinvemal, Sindite Lara, Sumalara and Sinprotec Lara, issued a statement to the Lara public opinion before the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year in order to make known the “educational emergency” that the Venezuelan teachers are experiencing. In the document they agree to ratify the approaches and agreements signed before the organizations with competence in educational and labor matters.
For this reason, they request that external agents do not interfere in the educational process in the institutions, while demanding the minimum conditions necessary for the development of educational quality in all the schools in the state of Lara such as infrastructure, school meals program, teaching materials, office and furniture, basic services, job stability and immobility for education workers, and an end to workplace harassment.
Furthermore, they maintain that they continue to adhere to clause 81 of the second single and unitary collective agreement, thus demanding that the rights suppressed by the national labor entity be restored and that due constitutional process be complied with.
