PARAMARIBO--In response to a now week-long strike by their teachers, several hundred secondary school students gathered in protest at the National Assembly building on Wednesday, to urge Government and teachers’ union BvL to come to an agreement.
Many of them were carrying placards with phrases like “We have a right to education” and “Government/BvL, what will become of my future?”
“We have only one interest and that is for our right to education. We want to hear from Government and BvL what their intentions are,” one of the student leaders told Parliamentarian Melvin Bouva, who walked out of meetings to address them.
The students’ protests follow on the strike secondary school teachers started last week Wednesday, demanding better pay. On Sunday Government and BvL reached a provisional agreement, but the teachers turned it down as the deal would only have them see improvements in their salary scales in February next year. Secondary schools throughout the country have thus remained closed for a week now.
The more than 200 students who assembled at the Parliament building came from 15 secondary schools. They were led by the board members of the student bodies. They emphasised that when members of the Youth Parliament issued a statement on Monday denouncing the teachers’ strike, they were not speaking on behalf of the students.
“Nobody should try to use us for their political advantage. We understand the teachers. We have parents too and the teachers have their own children. We have decided to remain neutral in this matter,” said Jair Kross, chairman of one of the student bodies.
The students made clear that they agreed with the main points the teachers had brought forth as reasons for their ongoing strike, mainly that the exchange rate has pushed the cost of living up. They stressed, though, that as long as the strike continued they were being duped. “We want Government and BvL to reach a clear agreement, because this is costing us our future. We are lagging behind on our lessons and this schoolyear is in danger of going to waste.”
They said they would be willing to be party to the further negotiations, as they are the ones who are duped the most. On Monday, after the teachers rejected the provisional agreement and it became clear that the strike was not over yet, a small group of students had already held a short protest march in Paramaribo to urge parties to reach a solution.
As Parliamentarian Bouva addressed them on the doorstep of the National Assembly on Wednesday, he promised to arrange a meeting with the Minister of Education and BvL, at which the presidential committee would also be present. “We have to try to find a solution through dialogue,” said Bouva. The students said they would continue their protests as long as this solution was not found and their school did not resume.
