Nearly seven out of ten officials of educational centers including teachers, janitors, cooks, administrative staff, among others, still haven’t returned to the classrooms, according to the most recent report of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP).
The attendance report on October 25th indicates that 29,501 employees are absent, compared to 12,435 who are working. In percentages, those who have not returned to their jobs represent 67%, leaving the great majority of students without receiving lessons for seven weeks now.
The leader of the Ministry, Édgar Mora has insistently asked the teachers to return, guaranteeing they won’t deal with reprisals.
In the last week, many teachers have returned to their work safely under my word: no one has received sanctions or retaliation for returning, on the contrary, they have been welcomed,”
said the head of the ministry.
Despite the large number of people still not showing up for work, the number of personnel on strike has been decreasing every week. During the first week of the strike, the MEP reported the absence of 38,635 workers, a figure that fell to 33,223 in the sixth week of the movement.
The educators who are still on strike argue that the unions appealed the declaration of illegality and that has not yet been final.