Teachers challenge the government of Luis Arce in Bolivia

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Hundreds of teachers marched in La Paz on Monday to demand more budget for education, better salaries and to reject a new curriculum amid growing protests against the government of President Luis Arce .

The column of demonstrators left the nearby town of El Alto and at the entrance to La Paz stopped traffic as they headed towards the Ministry of Education, where a massive rally was planned.

“We are going to paralyze the city. We came to stay until we find a response from the government,” said teacher leader José Luis Álvarez.

“We did not break the dialogue, which remained in an intermediate room. The march is useless, the mobilized teachers are not interested in the quality of teaching but in shaking the country,” replied the Minister of Education, Edgar Pari.

The head of teachers, Patricio Molina, explained that there is a great deficit of educators and that the new program proposed by the government is recharging teachers’ hours without salary recognition. “Robotics will be taught but there are no teachers or labs in public schools. The makeup is only done to hide an educational crisis,” he said.

But the minister announced that the new program will not be suspended as it has been agreed with teachers and parents and the government is making efforts to integrate more teachers every year.

According to the World Bank, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia are the countries that invest the most in education, while Bolivia has reduced its spending in this area. In 2006, spending on education reached 21% of all state spending, while in 2021 it fell to 16.87%.

Education in Bolivia is free and compulsory through high school, but teachers say the quality of education is lower than in neighboring countries.

Classes started a month ago and teachers say they are ready to stay mobilized in the streets all week.

Despite having one of the lowest inflation rates on the continent (3.12% in 2022), the Bolivian economy is stagnating due to falling incomes and a reduction in foreign exchange reserves, which is fueling a growing social unrest, analysts say.