Valies: “All’s not well with the education sector”

The members of the Teachers’ Association (BvL) and the Alliance for Teachers in Suriname (ALS) held a silent march on Thursday. The objective of the silent march was to protest against the way the government and in particular the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (OWC) handles the interests of teachers. “They are violating the rights of the organization. Teachers are being fired. They do not have the right to talks. There are no consultations. One-sided decisions are made. The teachers face restrictions. There is oppression and dictatorship in the education sector,” said Wilgo Valies, chairman at the BvL and the ALS. “If there is no intervention soon, we will fall deeper in the abyss. We are dressed in black and white to express our concerns. We want to make clear to the entire nation and the government that changes are necessary in the education sector because all’s not well and if the education system does not function properly, there could be huge consequences for the parents and the pupils,” said Valies. “The government must treat teachers in a proper manner or else you will have disheartened teachers and the pupils will suffer. A letter from the union has been sent to the government and the president, asking for intervention because the quality of education is being affected,” said the union chairman. Union officials decided not to hold the silent march during school hours as this would ‘affect’ education. “We have already been through a turbulent school year which is why we want to express our discontent to the government in this manner and we also want to hold talks as soon as possible.” Valies hopes that the nation realizes the importance of changes in the education system.