“I will not return to the classroom if I am not paid a decent salary,” a teacher declares

"I will not return to the classroom if I am not paid a decent salary," a
teacher declares / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez
Posted on October 11, 2014

14ymedio, ROSA LÓPEZ, Havana | October 10, 2014 – The mass exodus of
teachers from the classroom has been, according to the official press,
the theme of meeting of the Education minister, Ena Elsa Velázquez
Cobiella, and her department heads. The official admitted that "there
are questions that need to be addressed in our country, which will be
resolved in due time when the right conditions are in place." Her words
do not placate the dissatisfaction of workers in the education sector
with low salaries and poor working conditions.

According to data provided by Velázquez Cobiella, in the last school
year, "427 education workers resigned because of disagreements with
their evaluations; 166 because of the issue of proximity to their places
of residence; 766 for failing to obtain a raise; 37 for dissatisfaction
with the teaching methods; and 2,343 cited personal problems." These
statistics contrast with the widely-shared opinion that low wages are
the principal cause driving teachers from the classroom.

"I told them I was leaving to care for my sick mother, but actually I
just couldn't stand the heavy workload and low salary any longer," says
Cristina Rodríguez, who taught elementary school for almost twenty years
in the municipality of Cerro. Like her, many others have claimed family
difficulties or health problems in order to free themselves from a
burden they have found too heavy to bear.

"The highest leadership of the nation is aware of the problem and has
the will to solve it, but this will be done in an orderly manner and
when the country's economy permits it," said the minister. Her words
were a bucket of ice water thrown on the education sector's expectations
for better compensation.

Around the middle of this year, public health professionals received a
significant raise, which fanned the flames of hope for similar actions
in other branches of service. However, the measure has not been extended
to other departments.

A big unanswered question is: When can educators expect to be paid more
decent salaries?

Among the criticisms that have emerged in discussions between the
Education minister and other officials is the burdensome paperwork
imposed on education workers. Every teacher is supposed to maintain
files on incidents in the classroom, and others that include
extracurricular information, such as family evaluations, community
assessments, and those well-known reports that are more police-like in
nature than education-related. The minister supported limiting such
bureaucratic activities to the registry of assistance and evaluation,
and to the students' cumulative records.

There are approximately 10,366 educational institutions whose principal
purpose is to stem the flow of teachers to other lines of work. "I will
not return to the classroom if they don't pay me a decent salary,"
asserts Martha Vázquez, a special education teacher. Thousands of
teachers echo this sentiment as they do other work across the country.

A big unanswered question is: When can educators expect to be paid more
decent salaries that keep pace with the cost of living? In the meantime,
classrooms will continue to lose valuable teachers who will end up
behind the counter at a cafeteria, or in the void of unemployment.

Translated by: Alicia Barraqué Ellison

Source: "I will not return to the classroom if I am not paid a decent
salary," a teacher declares / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/i-will-not-return-to-the-classroom-if-i-am-not-paid-a-decent-salary-a-teacher-declares-14ymedio-rosa-lopez/