Paraguay
A Colorado Party bill seeks to limit occupations in educational centers
The initiative by Deputy Felipe Schipani proposes applying in education a criterion similar to the LUC for labor disputes. It comes as tensions continue over occupations and strikes in teacher training.
Amid the conflict in education and the occupations in teacher training centers, Colorado Party Deputy Felipe Schipani introduced a bill to regulate those measures in public and private educational institutions, according to El País.
The proposal establishes that no protest or conflict may prevent or restrict students’ access to the facilities or the entry of teachers, staff and authorities to carry out their duties. In that framework, it states that total or partial occupations that affect the exercise of educational rights or the continuity of activities may not take place.
According to El País, the text provides that, if an occupation occurs, the competent bodies must take measures to bring it to an end and restore the center’s normal operation. If an order to vacate is not enough to secure a voluntary departure, it provides for requesting support from the Ministry of the Interior. It also notes that the unjustified failure to take those actions may generate liabilities, which would be defined in the Executive Branch’s regulations.
The bill also provides for the recovery of classes, exams and other activities lost because of the occupations. In its rationale, it argues that the right to protest cannot lead to preventing others from exercising their own rights.
Schipani told El País that the initiative seeks to bring to the educational sphere a logic similar to that applied by the Law of Urgent Consideration in workplaces. According to him, students told him they feel unprotected in the face of prolonged occupations that end up affecting courses, exams and progress in their degrees.
The presentation of the bill coincides with a new episode of tension between authorities and unions. The Coordinadora de Sindicatos de la Enseñanza del Uruguay called a 48-hour strike after a resolution by the Administración Nacional de Educación Pública to hold classes virtually in teacher training centers. After negotiations, ANEP withdrew that resolution, although the strike remained in force.
According to El País, the suspension of the move to virtual instruction was announced by ANEP president Pablo Caggiani after a tripartite meeting. The pause will remain in effect until Thursday, when negotiations will resume, Sidfe leader Líber Romero said.
The underlying conflict is linked to student occupations and complaints over decisions by education authorities, including a measure that authorizes the certification of teachers who are teaching without having completed their degree. El País recalled that the student union at the IPA kept its headquarters occupied for 50 days, between July 23 and September 11, and that the Institutos Normales were occupied for 41 days, between August 3 and September 13.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
