Classes were resumed in Bocha Chica, but the conflict between the Ministry of Education and the Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP) could worsen in the coming hours, after the union accused the representatives of the Ministry of abandoning the meeting in which they discussed the repair of dozens of school buildings.
Leonardo Jimenezpresident of the section of the ADP in Boca Chicasaid the union will meet at 2:00 in the afternoon this Thursday to establish a position on the issue and determine whether to continue with the fight plan started last Monday, which included a work stoppage in 55 school sites.
“We are still in the same situation. We are analyzing what measures we will take starting that afternoon,” said the union leader in a telephone interview.
“We are going to meet this afternoon to evaluate the fight plan that we will develop”Jiménez insisted.
The fight plan
“The fight plan may follow. The person we were hoping for did not come forward with a proposal about the centers that deserve attention for in-person classes,” Jiménez insisted.
He said that in a meeting held to seek a consensus on the conflict, Carlos Martínez, an official from the directorate of School Infrastructure and representative of Ministry of Educationleft the meeting.
“He left the meeting because he did not have enough supplies to satisfy the demand of the ADP and the people of Boca Chica, which demands to repair the schools and put them in conditions that do not represent immediate danger to the teaching staff and students in the immediate future,” he said.
At the meeting, Hellen Barreiro, director of school district 10-05, and Angela Heredia and Miguel Martínez, School Infrastructure official, also represented the Ministry of Education.
That meeting was scheduled for 2 in the afternoon and began after 4:00 in the afternoon and lasted until after 7:00 at night, without reaching specific agreements.
We claim the union
Just last October 31, the union issued a statement in which it complained that “many educational centers present a marked deterioration in its infrastructure, requiring urgent repairs and renovations.”
He added that, In several cases, construction has been paralyzed for years.with progress of only 85 and 60%, without having been completed.
“These deficiencies limit the teaching-learning process and put the physical integrity of students, teachers, administrative and support staff at risk,” the teachers union continued.
“If we do not obtain a tangible response from the competent authorities, this fight plan will be extended next week.incorporating new phased actions that will be communicated in a timely manner,” the union insisted.
You can read: Teachers call off strike in Boca Chica
a note
Government calls for common sense
In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Education called for “sensibility and collective commitment” to the striking teachers. “Only through cooperation and the joint search for solutions will it be possible to overcome any challenge without interrupting students’ right to education,” he said.
