Teachers “skip” class to attack Tarcísio at Marxist congress

The union of official education teachers of the state of São Paulo (Apeoesp) will hold, this weekend, the triennial congress of the category. More of 1.5 thousand teachers and directors will meet in Piracicaba, in the interior of São Paulo, to present 19 left theses based on Marxist concepts. The winning proposal will subsidize the creation, by the union, of a “fight plan” for education in SP.

Teachers who participate in the event will have their absences paid at Schools. Other unions, such as Single Workers’ Central (CUT) and National Confederation of Workers in Education (CNTE), will also participate in the congress.

A People’s Gazette had access to some theses that will be voted on by union members. They are: “Tarcísio, the ultraliberal and privatist governor who must be fought”, “Tarcísio’s extreme right and the attacks on education in SP” and “Axes of struggle against governor Tarcísio”.

The president of Apeoesp, Fabio Santostalked with People’s Gazette. Asked whether the congress will have public funds or a parliamentary amendment by the state deputy baby teacher (PT), who is the second president of the union, Santos rejects. “Not at all, despite Bebel being a deputy and our second president, we know how to separate things. Apeoesp has its financial independence. Who finances the fight is the worker himself”.

Fabio Santos says that the absence of teachers from schools on Friday (1) will be covered by the Department of Education. “Teachers will not stop working, they will do a different job. These teachers will not teach this Friday and will be delegated to the Apeoesp congress”, explains the union president.

Tarcísio’s Education PEC will be on the agenda at the Marxist congress

Santos listed some priorities of the union’s demands: “to guarantee that there is no cut in the budget, payment of the national floor, return of the confiscation of retirees and an attractive career plan”.

The relocation of the budget for Education mentioned by Santos refers to the Proposed Amendment to Education (PEC) that should be articulated by Tarcísio in the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp) in this second semester. The PEC aims to reorganize 5% from Education to Health. According to technicians from the Palácio dos Bandeirantes, the birth rate follows a downward trend in the state, while the population’s demand for health services increases.

“São Paulo pays one of the lowest salaries in Brazil for its teachers. They force teachers to work 64 hours a week. Schools have a lot to advance in structure. The state is not in a position to look at education and say that there is money left over”.

Fabio Santos, first president of Apeoesp.

Finally, Santos says that the union has occasional dialogues with the São Paulo Secretary of Education, Renato Feder. “The secretary went to the Education Commission at Alesp, chaired by Professor Bebel, and we from Apeoesp went in force. He is committed to changing the missed classes and APD”.

The Pedagogical Activity (APD) refers to the amount of hours that the teacher has to stay at school after class to correct a test or work, for example. The union asks that it is not mandatory to carry out this work at school. Missing classes is the deduction that the professor has in his salary when he does not teach. According to Santos, what happens is that, if the teacher needs to leave early and is unable to teach just one class, the whole day is discounted.

In note, the Seduc confirms that it released 1,550 teachers from the state education network to participate in the Marxist congress. The folder also reinforces that there will be changes in the absence of classes and in the Pedagogical Activity.

“Currently, APD is carried out exclusively at school by teachers. With the change in legislation, they may, in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary of Education, be authorized to carry out activities such as preparing classes and correcting tests in a different location. With regard to missing classes, the proposal is for the teacher to have a discount only for classes that he/she does not attend and not for the whole day, as is currently the case. Thus, if a teacher has seven classes in the day and misses only one, he will be paid for six”, says the communiqué from the São Paulo state agency.