Hundreds of teachers marched in La Paz on Monday to demand more budget for education, better salaries and in rejection of a new curriculum in the midst of growing protests against the government of President Luis Arce.
The column of demonstrators left the neighboring city of El Alto and upon entering La Paz stopped traffic while heading to the Ministry of Education, where a massive rally was scheduled.
“We are going to paralyze the city. We have come to stay until we find a response from the government”, said the teacher’s leader José Luis Álvarez.
“We have not broken the dialogue, which has remained in an intermediate room. The march is unnecessary, the mobilized teachers are not interested in educational quality but in convulsing the country”, replied the Minister of Education, Edgar Pari.
The leader of the teachers, Patricio Molina, explained that there is a great deficit of educators and that the new curriculum proposed by the government recharges hours for teachers without salary recognition. “Robotics will be taught but there are no teachers or laboratories in public schools. They only do makeup to hide an educational crisis,” he said.
But the minister announced that the new curriculum will not be suspended because it has been agreed with teachers and parents and that the government makes efforts to incorporate more teachers each year.
According to the World Bank, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia are the countries that invest the most in education, while Bolivia has been reducing its spending in the area. In 2006 educational spending reached 21% of all state spending while in 2021 it fell to 16.87%.
Education in Bolivia is free and compulsory up to high school, but teachers say that the quality of education is below that of neighboring countries.
Classes started a month ago and teachers say they are willing to stay mobilized in the streets all week.
Despite having one of the lowest inflation rates on the continent (3.12% in 2022), Bolivia’s economy is stagnating due to a drop in income and a reduction in foreign exchange reserves, which is fueling growing social unrest, according to analysts.
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