Con La Escuela: Venezuelan school year closes amid “an all-enveloping crisis” | via: Radio Fe y Alegria
María Iriarte | Venezuela | July 18, 2023 | Image: Referential
Unofficial translation made by HumVenezuela…
Oscar Iván Rose, coordinator of Asociación Civil Con la Escuela, offered a balance on the closing of the school year in Venezuela, highlighting that it was marked by precariousness.
According to Asociación Civil Con La Escuela, there are several factors that violate the right to education in the country, especially in public schools and in popular sectors.
“It is the lack of public services that affect classes, the lack of teachers, the PAE program (School Feeding Program), the deficiencies in infrastructure and equipment. When you talk about the violation of the right to education of students in the country, you are not referring to a particular area, it is an all-encompassing crisis”, said Rose during an interview on the program Háblame Bajito of Radio Fe y Alegría Noticias.
The coordinator of Con la Escuela reiterated that unless the teaching career is recognized with fair salaries and corresponding benefits, it will not be possible to achieve quality education in the country.
In addition, he mentioned that the pandemic further aggravated the situation, since two years of face-to-face classes were lost and many students did not have access to online education.
Only 48 days of classes
He added that despite these years that were lost, classes resumed in October instead of September and were interrupted by the labor dispute for which a mosaic schedule was implemented, limiting classes to two days per week.
“The mosaic schedule between January and July meant just 48 days of classes. 40% of what they should really attend (…) The effect of not going to classes brings learning loss, but when it is as marked it brings learning poverty and that is why we see that there are children in third grade who do not know how to read,” he lamented.
He also emphasized that children and adolescents are the most affected by this problem, since by not attending a safe environment, such as school, they not only suffer losses in their learning, but also in their socialization process.
However, Rose mentioned some efforts underway to counteract this situation, such as the program “Leo, juego y aprendo” (I read, play and learn) of the Universidad Metropolitana (Unimet).
This program, led by a collective of educators from EducaMiranda, aims to implement strategies to promote reading and has managed to incorporate almost 20 thousand children from 300 schools.
These efforts, although challenging, are valued for their specific approach and commitment to educational development despite the difficulties, Rose pointed out.