The parents of the traditional ‘Ciro Pupo Martínez’ school, in La Paz, Cesar, are dissatisfied with the administration of the current rector Javier Noriega. Some of them called La Calle Weekly to denounce that this educational institution looks like a cemetery. “Useless desks and bathrooms, with bad odors. The library looks like a pigsty,” said one of them.
They said that on the morning of Friday, June 7, there was a meeting of parents and they asked them for a fee of five thousand pesos each to pay for the cleaning service. “The principal says that he cannot make the children do cleaning because it is against the law, it is also against the law to ask parents for money to make repairs to the school,” said an upset mother. “They also asked us for another five thousand pesos to pay security guards,” she added.
They continue with the silver ‘order’
Some parents of third grade children had already received text messages insisting on paying another five thousand pesos to adapt a new classroom. “Hello, good afternoon, moms and dads of the group. They already informed me that yes or yes it is time to move rooms. Where we have to (go) we have to fix it, because it has no electrical installation and it is very dirty. There are two fans there and I would take the two that are here and we have to weld the door and fix the lock. Furthermore, it must be painted, because it is quite dirty,” announced the teacher who sent the message.
And it gave a deadline to receive the requested fee. “They already told me that we should go there on Friday at the latest,” she says. And, immediately, the sum of the supposed costs. “In general expenses, it would be 150,000 pesos. To do this, I need your collaboration with a fee of $5,000,” he adds.
Face to face with the rector
It also adds the meeting invitation alluded to above. “Good afternoon. The Parent Council extends an invitation to all parents on Friday, at 9 in the morning on the ground floor of the new classrooms of the institution,” he says.
The next day, they insist. “Good morning. Please forward to the parents the audio of the rector inviting the parents to the meeting called by the parent council”; Precisely, it was at that meeting that the attendees’ cups overflowed, when they were asked for the two new quotas for surveillance and cleaning.
The third grade parents were not satisfied with what they had been asked for and most were reluctant to pay; Then, they received the message again. “Hello, good afternoon, I’m stopping by to remind you of the $5,000 for the repair of the room that was assigned to us,” they insisted. That request became repetitive: “And, please send me the $5,000 tomorrow, so I can do the work in the new room this weekend.”
Then, given the lack of interest in providing the requested fee, the next day they receive a discouraging report: “Hello, good morning. To inform you that to date only twelve (12) moms have given me the collaboration that I asked for for the arrangement of the living room.
I remind you that it is to secure the room, since the door is damaged, it must be welded and two pins placed on it for greater security. In addition, a welded mesh must be placed above, more or less, two meters to secure the children’s things, since they leave their things in the living room and they can take them out there.”
Despite all this, some parents were still reluctant, but at ‘Ciro Pupo’ school they did not give up. “I appreciate that those who have not yet sent the $5,000 send it to me today, because I plan to come over the weekend with the welder to do the work. Also to paint and put up fans,” they wrote to them again.
The strategy of highlighting those who collaborated
It seems that just insisting on asking for collaboration was not working. There were still parents who were reluctant to give their contribution. A new message no longer spoke about those who did not send their quota, but rather highlighted those who did. “I thank everyone in advance who has seen the need to adapt the classroom. By this means, I will inform you how much I have received and how much the expense amounts to,” the parents received.
In any case, it seems that even the fans and graffiti in the living room were not included in those first five thousand. “I have only asked you to pay the man who is going to weld my door and install two pins,” says another message. And, just in case, they were reminded that there are other expenses. “The grill for the window is enough for what they send me,” he says with little clarity. But the ending had to be more encouraging: “I’ll do the rest.”
deplorable state
The parents also sent some photographs to La Calle, showing the poor condition of the bathrooms. The mother who called the newspaper also recalled that the school “has more than three hectares” and only has a night guard.” According to the lady, there is no cleaner either. And the dirt is notorious. “The rector said that it was the children’s fault because they were dirty,” the woman said. “If they didn’t dirty the school, there was no need for a cleaner. And that cannot be named by him, but by the Ministry of Education,” said the complainant.
