More than half of Venezuelan teachers are below the poverty line

The Venezuelan NGO Human Rights Observatory of the University of Los Andes stated this Saturday that “more than half” of teachers are “below the poverty line”, while recognizing the “fight” of this union “for fair salaries and decent working conditions” within the framework of World Day of the Teachers.

«Teachers in Venezuela face great obstacles to practicing their profession. Derisory salaries, lack of social security and precarious conditions in educational infrastructure limit their capacity,” the organization said through X, while stating that, despite this, “they continue with a key work: training future generations.” .

Likewise, he stated that “It is urgent that the State responds to their demands and guarantees the right to education.”

Last Monday, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, promised a set of aid to public sector teachers, whom he called to return to the classrooms, from which thousands of teachers deserted in recent years due to low salaries and working conditions, regarding the start of the new 2024-2025 school year.

How much do teachers earn in Venezuela?

However, the Executive has not explained whether this aid plan includes an increase in teachers’ salaries, which has been the central reason for the protests that this union has carried out in the last eight years, when, according to the group’s estimates, thousands of teachers left the country due to the economic crisis.

The Documentation and Social Analysis Center of the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (Cendas-FVM) calculated that the average salary of a teacher per month is about 21 dollars at the official exchange rate, which it considers insufficient to cover the cost of the basic food basket, calculated in August by the organization at 107.8 dollars per person. .