This Monday morning, different educational institutions in towns and villages in the department of Cesar suspended their classes to take to the streets in rejection of the poor academic conditions they are experiencing and also demanding the assignment of teachers, given the lack of teachers. has affected the first school quarter.
One of the institutions in precarious conditions and lack of teachers would be the Laureano Martínez educational establishment, Julio César Flórez headquarters, located in the Nuevo Colón district in the municipality of Pueblo Bellos, an educational center that suspended academic sessions due to a lack of teachers, a situation which according to Juan Klaus Freyles, president of Asojuntas and supervisor of educational issues for the municipality, has been notified to the departmental Secretary of Education, however, they are still waiting for immediate actions.
“The issue is widespread, the infrastructure is in poor condition, lack of teachers, lack of cleaners and surveillance. However, a situation arises that is prevalent and worrying in the Nuevo Colón institution, because for several years teachers have been appointed, but when they are appointed they do the job for a few months and seek a transfer, leaving the children without the right to education. education. The community is already tired of the same, some agreements were reached at the time to appoint teachers from the same area, so that they have a sense of belonging and do not leave the children without service, since it is a district that is quite away from the urban area“said Klaus Kreyles.
Likewise, the educational observer added that two petition rights have been processed requesting the Secretary of Education to meet with the township community, but they did not receive a positive response. “We have not had the opportunity on the part of the departmental educational sector to be heard, which has worsened this situation, since if this meeting takes place and the secretary opens up to dialogue, these protests will not occur, because the community seeks is to be heard”, he claimed.
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The same situation would be facing the students of the Nuestra Señora del Carmen educational institution, in the La Mata district, in the municipality of La Gloria, who would have failed this first academic quarter due to the lack of teachers.
With posters that showed messages demanding the right to decent education, students from La Mata protested./ Photo: COURTESY
“Today we raise our voices for each student whose right to education is being violated, since we lack 6 teachers and a coordinator, we also have more needs such as a lack of personnel for cleaning and security; However, we have problems with the school restaurant.”said Marlón Hernández, student representative.
Also arguing that the community has issued guardianships to the Cesar Education sector, but the response would be the same to the other institutions that present a crisis for the good educational development of the student community of the department. “The educational community is not willing to give one more day, since we have been through an academic period with these absences and the secretary only asks for one more week and they do not respond, which is why we carried out this peaceful march. Until we have at least four teachers, we are going to continue with the protest,” the student representative specified.
RESPONSE FROM THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
The departmental Secretary of Education Yasmín Rocío García explained to this medium that the teacher assignment process seeks to comply with the eligible list since it has been a complex process because when a need appears to have been met in a township or municipality, it is presents a situation that truncates its fluidity and fulfillment.
“We are attending to the requirements of the different institutions, without ignoring that the guidelines left to us by the National Civil Service Commission are somehow violating the right to education of boys, girls and adolescents, because it is a costly process to have to attend to a list to resolve a one-month leave and the teachers who are waiting, winners of the competition are looking forward to being given the opportunity for their definitive appointment on a probationary period; “So we are forced to go to the social withholding list to solve maternity leave, sick leave, among others, which leaves complex results for several days,” indicated the departmental secretary of Education.
However, the official notified THE PILON that would already be in the process of assigning teachers for the towns of Nuevo Colón and La Mata. “For the municipality of La Gloria, in La Mata, in Melendes, which is one of the headquarters of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, the teacher for social sciences has already been sent, it is a need that will be covered with overtime, given that there is no there is the definitive position to make an appointment; In the case of natural sciences and physics, it is a temporality that we must solve with the social retention list since the list of eligible people is exhausted, this OPEC.”
Also adding that in the urban area, specifically at the José Mejía Uribe headquarters and in San Juan Bautista, a rural area, teachers are being replaced on temporary basis, which would already be in the process of being resolved in the remainder of this week. “We ask our educational community and principals to give us this week to finish carrying out and meeting these needs that exist in the municipality of La Gloria.“.
Regarding the need presented by the students of Nuevo Colón, García, stated that “Two teachers have already been called to go take the exams, take office, and as soon as this regular channel is provided, they must present themselves at the educational institution no later than Thursday and Friday.”
Finally, with respect to the deterioration of the infrastructure of the schools, the representative of the departmental sector stated that: “The departmental government from the Ministry of Education is going to continue with everything that has to do with the strengthening of educational infrastructure, just as it has been doing with the delivery of classrooms. “We will be focusing on these needs to intervene,” he concluded.
BY EDITORIAL/EL PILÓN