The demonstration aimed to challenge the increase in monthly fees in teacher training schools. The minister invited those who “do not want to study in a public school” to go to private schools.
A demonstration of teachers from the Higher School of Guinea-Bissau (ESE) was dispersed this Wednesday, in Bissau, by the police, using batons, causing injuries and arrests, said one of the group’s leaders.
“The police arrived and immediately began to beat us with batons, without anything justifying it”observed the president of the teachers’ committee at the end of his training at the ESE – ‘Tchico Té’ Unit of Bissau, Januário Meb.
The group, made up of about 50 teachers, was preparing to hold a vigil in front of the Ministry of Education to protest against Minister Henry Mané’s recent decision to increase enrollment rates in teacher training colleges in Guinea-Bissau.
On October 16, Mané published an order in which he announced that from now on the monthly fees would be ten thousand CFA francs (15 euros) for those who study a degree and seven thousand five hundred CFA francs (about 11 euros) for those who I wanted to have a degree at any ESE center in Guinea-Bissau.
Until now, the monthly fees for the two courses did not exceed five thousand CFA francs (less than eight euros), in a country where the average salary is around 60 thousand CFA francs (90 euros).
The minister considers that the measure aims to help teacher training schools so that they “can take care of themselves” and invited students who do not agree to look for private schools.
“Those who do not want to study in a public school can go to a private school (…), there are different schools and institutes. Let them go there and see if they pay four thousand one hundred CFA francs a month,” Henry Mané stressed to support his decision.
The minister pointed out that the seven ESE units are “going through many difficulties” and that with the increase in monthly fees “they will have financial autonomy” and thus “will improve the quality of teaching.”
The vigil called this Wednesday by the teachers in training would have the objective of not only demanding a reduction in monthly fees but also the publication of the final grades of the last evaluation at the ESE “Tchico Té” in Bissau.
Januário Meb says he was “violently attacked” by police who, he said, detained “at least ten students” who were at the demonstration and also took their belongings, such as mobile phones.
“I feel honored to participate in a demonstration of this nature. It is a shame that those who yesterday benefited from free public schools now deny us the right to study,” Meb praised.
Lusa tried, without success, to obtain a reaction from the public order police commissioner.
Source: Observadora
