- This resolution seeks to address the lack of teachers in various areas such as Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry in the public system | Photo: Fabiana Rondón | The Diary
Héctor Rodríguez, Minister of Education, signed a resolution on Tuesday, October 8, inviting retired teachers to join the classrooms to return to teaching in Venezuela.
“This resolution determines that all those retired teachers who wish to do so can also return to the classroom, without losing their retirement rights,” said the minister.
Rodríguez pointed out that there are “some difficulties” in covering areas such as Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. For this reason, he maintained that it is necessary to ensure that young people “have all their teachers, all their full schedule.”
Likewise, he ordered that all teachers who are on secondment, performing duties in an institution other than their usual one, return to their schools to teach.
“The main task we have is to guarantee quality education, inclusive and for everyone, but the main difficulty in achieving that goal is our own bureaucracy, the functioning of the ministry,” he added.
The promises of the Maduro government for teachers
On September 30, the government of Nicolás Maduro promised a set of aid to public sector teachers. In addition, he called on them to return to the classrooms, from which thousands of teachers have deserted in recent years due to low salaries and working conditions.
Maduro explained that the government has designed “eight fronts of action to improve the quality of work and life of the Venezuelan teachers.” This is because in thousands of institutions teachers only attend two or three days a week to dedicate the rest of the time to other tasks that generate greater income.
However, the Executive has not explained whether this aid plan includes an increase in teachers’ salaries, which has been the central reason for the protests of this union in the last eight years. According to sector estimates, thousands of teachers left the country due to the economic crisis.
The Center for Documentation and Social Analysis of the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (Cendas-FVM) calculated that the average salary of a teacher per month is about 21 dollars at the official exchange rate, which it considers insufficient to cover the cost of the basic food basket. calculated in August by the organization at $107.8 per person.
The desertion of teachers from the educational system
In July 2024, the president of the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (FVM) of the Capital District, Édgar Machado, warned about a considerable number of educators who have dropped out due to the low salaries they receive.
“There are a large number of teachers who have abandoned the educational system due to the low salaries that the Ministry of Education has. Every year there are more educators who leave the classrooms to go to other areas,” said Machado in an interview for The Diary.
Machado expressed his concern because many young people who graduate from high school fail to develop sufficient numerical and reading comprehension skills to access higher education.
“Many young people go to a higher level without the skills, therefore, they abandon the educational system. The infrastructure in the Capital District, more than 50%, is in poor condition,” he added.
Likewise, he insisted on the importance of the Ministry of Education implementing policies that allow teachers to return to their jobs, since even universities are running out of teachers.
With information from EFE
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