Public school principals may find themselves replaced if they do not return to work today, Monday, November 16, the day the Ministerio de Educacion Publica (MEP) – Ministry of Public Education – begins to organize the 2019 school year.
The Minister of Education, Edgar Mora, gave the principals of schools and collected an ultimatum, saying they will be replaced by “emergent interims” and disciplaniry actions will be initiated.
Mora told the media these officials are ona strike that “is not valid, They are officials of the employer and must fulfill the functions assigned by the minister, unlike of the subordinate personnel”.
The MEP needs these officials to organize the coming school year that starts in February. The current school year, that officially ends at the beginning of December, is pretty well shot given the thousands of MEP employees still on the national strike that began on September 10.
The strike is against the Plan Fiscal (Tax Reform) that is currently makings its way through the legislative process.
“The MEP has to organize the new school year as of November 26, and we cannot wait for anyone. Failing it deprives the children and adolescents (…),” said Mora.
The Minister affirmed that the directors have an accumulation of precise instructions to fulfill as of the 26 of November, if they do not arrive, it would also put in risk the program for next year.
“If that day they do not begin to comply with these provisions, I will withdraw their delegated power to direct the educational center, in its place I will appoint an emergent interim and a disciplinary procedure will be initiated. The Government will guarantee the continuity of the public education service and we will do so with responsible directors, those who abandoned their position and do not return on the 26 will be replaced so that the schools and colleges are available and properly organized to start the next school year on February 6,” said the Minister.
Last Wednesday, the unions gave school principals permission to go back to work to process the payment of bonuses and surcharges for next year, and that doing so “does not put at risk the strike”.
The decision of the unions was made after the MEP informed that the payment of bonuses for surcharges for 2019 was in danger for 16,000 teachers because, due to the strike, the directors of the educational centers have fallen behind in the submission of the proposals.
