Less than three weeks before the start of the educational management, at least 50 educational units in the capital of Santa Cruz face power outages and damage to its infrastructure. The most affected are located in Municipal District 11, in the center of the city, denounced Osman Cabrera, executive secretary of the Federation of Urban Teachers.
Cabrera regretted the lack of maintenance in the schools and denounced a “total neglect” of the municipal government. “The doorkeepers have informed us that many educational units are in poor condition, without grass cut, without electricity and with basic services at risk. “This just a few days before classes start is unacceptable,” he declared.
The leader warned that if the authorities do not respond until Friday, January 17, the teachers they will organize a protest in front of the Municipal Directorate of Education.
For his part, the Democratic councilor, Manuel ‘Mamén’ Saavedra, assured that the problems not only affect District 11, but also other areas of the city. According to Saavedra, the municipality’s debt for electrical energy amounts to 25 million bolivianos, of which 5 million correspond to educational units.
“Since Monday, power outages were reported in schools in District 11, and this is already happening in other areas. He even runs risk that the water supply will also be cut off”said the councilman. Saavedra indicated that municipal agencies have also been affected by the lack of payment.
Mayor’s Response
Bernardo Montenegro, municipal spokesperson, acknowledged that there were power outages in some educational units, but assured that the Mayor’s Office is working on a payment schedule. “We are honoring the debts with the service provider companies and moving forward so that the cuts do not affect school activities,” he explained.
