SPAIN: Tens of thousands of public school teachers and students march through central Madrid to protest against cuts in public education

Record ID: 339242

  • Title: SPAIN: Tens of thousands of public school teachers and students march through central Madrid to protest against cuts in public education
  • Date: 5th October 2011
  • Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 04, 2011) (REUTERS) POLICEMEN AT DEMONSTRATION PROTESTER DRESSED AS A BIG HEAD DEPICTING MADRID'S REGIONAL PRESIDENT ESPERANZA AGUIRRE PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNER READING (Spanish) "EDUCATION IS NOT A COST IT IS AN INVESTMENT, DON'T CUT IT" UNION LEADERS HOLDING BANNER HEAD OF TEACHERS UNION (ANPE) IN MADRID FRANCISCO MELCON AT THE PROTESTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HEAD OF TEACHERS UNION (ANPE) IN MADRID, FRANCISCO MELCON, SAYING: "Of course with the cuts undertaken the last year and with the instructions at the start of this academic year all of this damages the quality of public education and that of course affects overall quality of education that pupils receive at public institutions." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING
  • Embargoed: 20th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain, Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Politics,Education
  • Reuters ID: LVA69WM9LYA3PSQJ5GPKD2NMH26I
  • Story Text: Tens of thousands took to the street of Madrid on Tuesday (October 04) to protest against what they say is an attempt by the local centre-right government to use a debt crisis to strangle public schools and benefit private ones.
    Madrid's regional government -- run by the People's Party that is expected to win general elections in November -- had asked public high school teachers to take on two extra classroom hours per week in a bid to save 80 million euros on extra staff.
    Clad in green t-shirts, state school teachers were joined by students banging on pans and holding banners demanding investment in public education. The demonstrators marched to Sol square as they chanted slogans against austerity measures in education.
    Head of teachers union ANPE in Madrid Francisco Melcon said the cuts would damage quality of education.
    "Of course with the cuts undertaken the last year and with the instructions at the start of this academic year all of this damages the quality of public education and that of course affects overall quality of education that pupils receive at public institutions," said Melcon.
    Spain's ruling Socialists have implemented a range of austerity measures in the past year to avoid a similar bailout to Greece, but unions fear a PP victory in November will bring even more painful cuts in a country where one in five is unemployed.
    Spain, like other countries in the euro zone, is aggressively cutting spending to reduce the public deficit.
    In Madrid, unions said Tuesday's strike, which was set to continue on Wednesday (October 05), had an over 70 percent take-up rate.
    Spanish teachers, who earn more but work longer hours than the average for the OECD group of wealthy nations, said the change in classroom hours is just the latest in a string of measures by the regional PP government to reduce public school funds and drive more families to private schools.
    "They are introducing private companies into public centres to provide services that we, the state schools teachers, used to provide. Education is becoming a business and we are not going to let them steal it from us," Raquel Romero, a temporary teacher who is on strike said.
    The PP has not cut the budget for "concertados" -- schools that rely on both private and public funding -- and recently introduced a 900 euro per child tax break for tuition, books and uniforms that even wealthy families can benefit from.
    Teachers also went on strike for two days in September and plan a final walk-out on October 20.
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