Colombia preparing tropical paradise for tourism after 500...
Hacktivists leak 178,000 documents from Colombia’s military
Colombia’s sentenced for exterminating political party
Colombia’s capital Bogota awarded for failing crime policy
OAS urges Colombia to release people arrested over...
Colombia’s war crimes tribunal hears notorious former warlord
Colombia’s GDP and GNI
Panama arrests US citizen suspected in Colombia of...
Colombia seeking mastermind behind Paraguay prosecutor kill plot
Colombia’s government and ELN rebels overcome “crisis” in...
  • About
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
Striking school teacher and the children she educates. (Image: FECODE)
News

Colombia’s education disaster: teachers and students now both on strike for funds

by Adriaan Alsema October 19, 2018

Colombia’s almost entire public education system will shut down next week after teachers said they would join students in a strike demanding funds and the fulfillment of promises to finance public education.

Teachers union FECODE said their strike will begin Tuesday, claiming the government has only kept no more than 20% of the promises made to end strikes more than a year and a half ago.

Not even the agreement to convene a high-level commission to submit draft legislation to guarantee the financing of education from pre-school to higher education has been complied with.

Teachers representative Pedro Osorio

Colombia’s teachers lift 5-week strike after vows to increase investment in education


The teachers of the country’s primary and secondary schools will strike simultaneous with higher education students, who began striking Thursday last week also to demand increased funds to finance the closing of a chronic budget gap in education.

The protests further enlarge the problems of President Ivan Duque, who is suffering dropping approval ratings and hardly any convincing support in Congress.

The teachers said they will march in all Colombia’s big cities on Tuesday, a day before new student marches are expected on Wednesday.

According to FECODE, the teachers’ primary concern is the “terrible health services that deteriorate by the day.” The union said that teachers who are ill are refused doctor appointments.

The union claimed that “the education ministry … isn’t even doing its job to guarantee that [health] entities comply with their contractual terms.”

Junta Nacional de @Fecode convoca a Paro Nacional del Magisterio de 24 horas el martes 23 de octubre pic.twitter.com/ofRsOWwwrf

— fecode (@fecode) October 18, 2018

Students have been holding weekly protests since Wednesday last week to demand funds for public universities that have suffered from chronic underfunding for years.

The wave of strikes are taking place just as Congress is debating the 2019 national budget.

The teachers and the students are particularly offended by the fact that Duque has requested an increase in military spending while leaving all levels of education underfunded.

According to the Education Ministry, some 8 million school children are affected by the strikes that in the past counted on the support of many parents.

2019 educationeducationlabor strikesteachers strike

Trending

  • Panama arrests US citizen suspected in Colombia of murdering fiancé

  • Colombia’s capital Bogota awarded for failing crime policy

  • Colombia’s war crimes tribunal hears notorious former warlord

For patrons

Downloads for patrons

Related articles

  • Colombia’s failing state | Part 3: the generation with no future

  • How long can Colombia’s ranchers chief stay out of prison?

  • Sergio Arboleda University: educating Colombia’s mafia

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Rss

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion