Secondary and UTU teachers in Montevideo decided to hold a strike next Monday, March 6, the first day of classes. This Sunday the National Federation of Secondary Education Teachers (Fenapes) will decide whether to adhere and, in that case, the teachers’ strike will be in all high schools in the country.
The leader of Ades Montevideo (which brings together teachers from the capital), Javier Iglesias, explained that the measure was taken because there is “a beastly cut in the educational budget” that is generating “overcrowded groups of students.”
When asked about it, the director of the Codicen, Robert Silva, denied that this was the case and told The Observer that if the union considers that there is overpopulation, it should “prove it and say where and in which groups” and added: “the union said that 65% of the teachers had gone to high school and that is not true, the union said that they did not They were going to be able to choose hours online and it didn’t happen”.
Silva acknowledged that “there is a group that must be attended to”, but that the groups that were formed “are the ones that are needed” and that they were generated in dialogue with the inspectors and the directions. “This measure that can affect so many, we are going to face it with a call to families,” stressed the president of the Codicen.
Silva also remarked that on Monday high schools throughout the country, including Montevideo, will be open and that public education will begin that day, because according to the statistics managed by Codicen “70% of teachers have not adhered to the strike measure.” on other occasions, but “only 30%” does so, Silva said.
However, Secondary teachers plan to occupy some student centers this Monday. Iglesias said that what they will be is still being debated, but he said that the union will be present at some to talk with students and parents.
The union also rejected the beginning of the application of the educational reform that will be launched with the start of classes. According to the leader, the reform is rejected by the boards of directors and by the teachers and “it is applied to one” without a pilot plan. The teachers’ union will also stop on March 8 for Women’s Day.
