Peruvian teachers on strike

July 12, 2007

This has been interesting to watch around here. There are loads of teachers on strike, and they have been since July 5. Remember, since we’re south of the equator, it’s cold here and school is not on summer break like it is in the states.

Here is a Forbes.com article that is worth the read.

I have seen the teachers (!) marching around the city. Here are some facts I have gathered by listening to the radio and reading the news online, as well as talking to loads of taxi drivers. These may not be right, but they are presented in good faith.

1. Some time recently, the government (under a new president since last summer) decided to give teachers competency tests to make sure they could perform basic math skills and reading comprehension in order to ensure a quality education was being given to students.

2. The teachers are rebelling against this new law, and their union, SUTEP, is supporting the strike.

A bit of background. The school system around here is not like it is in the USA. Here in Peru, the majority of schools are private and charge different prices to attend. Most kids attend private school. State-funded schools (estatales) are notoriously low-quality and are attended by the poor.

I do not know if the private school teachers are subject to this competency test or not.

It’s the public school teachers that are protesting the law, as well as they claim to not be paid enough.

So, as I understand it, they are claiming low salaries (heard that before?) and are complaining due to the comptency tests.

Most folks I’ve spoken with adamantly disagree with the teachers, saying that if they are to teach our kids, they must be properly prepared to do the job.

My question has always been in regards to the example presented by these teachers. There are rocks being thrown, tear gas discharged, riots in some of the outer reaches of the country, and cars being set on fire. It took me over 1.5 hours to get home last night when it should have taken at most 20 minutes. The teachers had a central throughfare blocked. I am sure the taxi driver lost money on that trip.

If I can get the nerve up, I may take my camera and try to get an interview, but it can be dangerous for me, as there is a large presence of piranhas wherever there is a riot or strike. I have to tread lightly.

I saw the teachers today as I headed for the airline office to check my flight back, in a few weeks.

Fun times in Peru! More updates to come…

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