An open assembly of families of the School 9 OF 2 “Genaro Berón de Astrada”who suffered this Monday, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo, the theft of 185 netbooks of the Sarmiento Plan, among other acts of vandalism, announced this Thursday that it is collecting signatures to demand “urgent measures” from the Ministry of Education, headed by Soledad Acuña, and to continue advancing with the complaint of theft and vandalism of the school.
“So far there has been no clear and forceful response from the City Government and the lack of response adds to general deterioration of public education in the City of Buenos Aireswhich years ago reduced the budget allocated to Education”, they highlighted in the petition.
The vandalized school is located at El Salvador 4037, between Avenida Medrano and Francisco Acuña de Figueroa, a place of constant traffic and surrounded by bars and restaurants.
The institution is located in Plaza Unidad Latinoamericana and is a “very vulnerable” building If no measure is taken, “they can enter through any of its four sides,” Diego Martínez Madrid, a member of the school cooperative and father of two student children, remarked to Télam.
City of Buenos Aires | Embrace a school in Palermo to protest the theft of 185 netbooks and destructionhttps://t.co/epStnDKoq6
– Telam Agency (@AgenciaTelam) November 29, 2022
In the petition, they demanded that the Ministry of Education take “urgent measures” so that students, teachers and auxiliary personnel can go “in peace” to study and work, “with the necessary and minimum tools for quality public education “.
In particular, they requested the designation of a caretaker or night watchman or alternative security system; a safe room for the deposit of tools and valuable material; replacement of 185 computers; Perimeter security circuit and installation of security cameras in the block of El Salvador height 4000.
In addition, they demanded the allocation of police personnel specifically to the school during the evenings and weekends; the survey of unsafe points and the reinforcement of building security measures.
They also requested the definitive closure of the entrance to the school from the adjoining Health and Community Action Center (Cesac) and recovery of school spaces ceded to it in the pandemic, because “students and adults outside the community are currently circulating in the same space. school”; and the designation of auxiliary personnel missing due to retirement or leave for health reasons.
This is the second time, in three months, that this educational establishment has been robbed and, throughout this year, other public institutions in the City of Buenos Aires have also suffered similar criminal acts: Escuela Nº 8 DE 10, Normal Nº 1, School No. 26 DE 1 and School No. 2 DE 13, among others, recalled.
The school woke up with the gas in the kitchen turned on and alcohol spilled on the floor.
The reduction in the budget causes “underfunding that results in poor building conditions with minimal maintenance and no improvements that are being requested, a lack of teaching and non-teaching staff, a lack of vacancies and, at the same time, increasingly numerous groups in the same classrooms, among other problems,” they said.
At the same time, they highlighted that as the historic landlords of the establishments retire, new people are not appointed to these positions, leaving the schools more unprotected on days when there are no classes or at night and ” this absence was not replaced by any alternative security mechanism either.”
Last Monday, the school woke up with the gas in the kitchen turned on and alcohol spilled on the floor, “which could have led to a real tragedy -considered in the petition”, broken glass, and a total of 185 computers from the Sarmiento plan, which “our sons and daughters use to work at school” and were stolen by the criminals.
Experts investigating the theft of 185 computers at a Palermo school raise “positive” traceshttps://t.co/9ajnl1moSX
– Telam Agency (@AgenciaTelam) November 30, 2022
They also stole cartons of milk and the kitchen staff’s work clothes.
As a result of these events, the educational community held a symbolic hug last Tuesday and then met in a self-convened Assembly.
During the assembly, they noticed the presence at the school of the official Fabián Capponi, general director of State Management Education, with whom they approached to speak.
As a result of the conversation, “Mr. Capponi promised to respond to three points of the petition: replacement of the stolen computers, safe storage space at the school and immediate assignment of police custody personnel, and also offered a meeting opportunity between authorities of the Ministry of Education and representatives of the educational community”, they concluded.
The petition is available at the following link: https://forms.gle/rSs3a3LfKnEtDfgp9
For those who prefer to sign on paper, this Friday there will be a table at the entrance to El Salvador between 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
