Absence of teachers is 40% during the school year in Venezuela

The absence of teachers in Venezuelan classrooms is estimated at 40% in the new school year, according to estimates by the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers.

Carmen Teresa Márquez, president of this trade union organization, expressed concern about the possibility that the vacancies be occupied by high school graduates. In this case, he said they expect common sense from the government.

«We have many expectations, a year that begins with the absence of many teachers who have left schools, some who emigrated, others who are doing another job, because the salary they receive at this moment does not allow them to survive. “It is really worrying,” he said.

He also recalled that last year student absenteeism was at 30% and that for the new period they must evaluate how the reintegration of children and adolescents develops.

«The boys often go to school because of the food program. And that food program did not reach all schools. So, the father who has no way to feed the children, the family, how to buy uniforms, shoes, t-shirts to send the well-off child to school. He leaves him at home. And others are on the street,” he said.

«It is sad to see so many boys on the streets. We have to rescue them, that’s what we want,” he added.

How much should a teacher earn in Venezuela?

The president of the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers stated that at least one teacher in the country He must earn between 300 and 400 dollars to be enough to survive. The Basic Food Basket, he recalled, was above $500 in August.

«The teachers are very depressed, very unmotivated; There is really no motivation to start classes. Apart from that there is going to be teacher absenteeism in schools and the government is worried. The minister has said that he will look for the teachers, that the teachers who have another profession are going to go look for them,” he said.

From bonus to salary

He pointed out that A level 4 teacher, who has up to 16 years of service, earns 253 bolivars biweekly. «That is the salary of a teacher because the government has not given a raise for more than 1,000 days. “They have given a war bonus, which they give once a month, of 3,325 bolivars.”

Márquez explained that educators prefer that the bonus they receive become part of the base salary. This is because the bonuses are calculated based on the monthly salary, which is currently around 500 bolivars.

That is to say, If the bonus is not included in the salary, the calculation of bonuses, benefits or the vacation bonus has no impact. For this reason, the union requests that the bonus be integrated into the salary so that these additional benefits are calculated on a higher salary base.

Teachers demand a meeting with Héctor Rodríguez and Eduardo Piñate

Márquez indicated that the union sent a document to Héctor Rodríguez, Minister of Education, in which indicates everything that is pending in salary matters for Venezuelan teachers.

Likewise, he sent another communication to Eduardo Piñate, Minister of Labor, in which he demanded compliance with what was agreed at the dialogue table of the Third Single and Unitary Collective Convention.

“We are demanding a meeting as soon as possible so that the discussion of collective contracting can be restarted again, allowing us to negotiate the salaries of educators,” he said.

“We are also concerned that boys who are leaving high school are not motivated to study education; we have the schools of education of universities with small populations. And the pedagogical school in Caracas, I think, recently had 270 students,” said the teacher.