For June 17, the ‘Takeover of Bogotá’ was called by Fecode, as part of a strike by the teachers’ union, which protests against the educational reform (on some specific points) that is being discussed in the Congress of the Republic.
“The president of Fecode, Domingo Ayala Espitia, calls for the Great Takeover of Bogotá, on Monday, June 17, and to continue in all actions within the framework of the Permanent National Strike in defense of public education and the teaching profession. Let’s go to the streets!” is one of the messages that the union has published through X.
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There are several concentration points, including:
- National University
- Manuela Beltran School
- Enrique Olaya Herrera School
- Sena, on Avenida Primero de Mayo with 30
The basic disagreement of the teachers is the draft Statutory Law that could soon be approved in Congress. The union believes that this reform will lead to a total privatization of education, taking away several acquired rights from teachers.
“The Statutory Law in its first steps advanced well in the public hearings, in the participation spaces and in the Chamber the observations presented by Fecode were included, all this progress and the nature of a fundamental right remained unknown and eliminated in the top secret amendment “, reads a statement issued by Fecode.
Ultimately, what the teachers want is the total collapse of the project for its subsequent review and adjustment in points such as:
- The non-compulsory nature of the three grades of preschool (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and transition) in public schools.
- Teaching evaluation based solely on results obtained by students in state and official tests. They emphasize that several evaluation methodologies already exist.
- Possible financing of private institutions with public resources.
These points are part of a modification of the reform project in the Senate and are, in part, the reason that led teachers to the streets to protest.
The so-called ‘taking of Bogotá’ is not limited only to teachers who work in the country’s capital, but has a national connotation, taking into account that, from almost all Colombian departments, delegations left to join the marches.
On Fecode’s social networks it has been recorded how caravans of teachers have left Atlántico, Bolívar, Arauca, Putumayo, Risaralda, Caldas, Boyacá, among other areas, to join the activities scheduled for June 17.
Aurora Vergara, Minister of Education, has referred to the possibility that the text being discussed in Congress will be modified as a result of Fecode’s requests and its stated reasons.
This project only needs one debate, so the pressure for teachers is greater, since the next step is the vote in the Senate Plenary.
Vergara, in the media, has insisted on “that the financing of public education be respected, and that is a promise of the Government, and we have demonstrated it with the allocation of a historic budget for this year that exceeds 70 billion pesos, and with the strengthening of public schools and universities.”
Carlos Andrés Arias, director of the firm Economía & Poder, told Infobae that, in the long term, the Fecode demonstrations could break the hitherto close relationship between the union and Gustavo Petro’s administration, discursively and ideologically close to various positions. of the guild.
