:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/JKIPTNENEZDLBPMUABTQZEJVWE.jpg "Hundreds of Bolivian teachers confronted the Police in a march against “forced retirement”")
La streets of La Paz were filled with the voices of hundreds of Bolivian teachers on Monday as they protested against the “forced retirement” bill and demanded fair wages from the government of President Luis Arce. The teachers marched to the Ministry of Education, where tensions escalated as they clashed with police officers guarding the area.
The educators expressed their frustration at the lack of budget allocation for the education sector and called for fair compensation for the hours of class they teach. Some teachers from other regions of the country joined the protest, vowing to remain in the city until their demands are met.
“We want to pass, we want to pass,” chanted the protesters as they faced off against the police officers. One teacher, Mónica Peña, questioned why politicians are not subjected to the same retirement rules as teachers and highlighted the disparities in pay and workload within the education system.
The Minister of Labor, Verónica Navia, called the protest “unjustified” but the Minister of Education, Omar Veliz, offered to open a dialogue with the teachers to address their concerns.
The protesting teachers are critical of a proposed law that would affect retirement benefits and require medical examinations for those over 65 years of age. The government argues that the law aims to increase retirement pensions and strengthen the Solidarity Pension Fund.
Retirement in Bolivia typically begins at age 58 for men and 55 for women, with pension income based on years of contributions and salary levels. The country currently has over 219,000 retirees receiving old-age income from the pension fund.
The teachers’ protest comes amidst growing discontent among various sectors in Bolivia, with health workers also announcing a four-day strike starting next Thursday. The government faces mounting pressure to address the concerns of these essential workers and ensure fair treatment and compensation for all.