Venezuela teachers provide lesson on how to live with salary misery

Food, medicines, insurance, rent … It is impossible to live with the salary of $ 15 per month of teachers in Venezuelacountry with an educational system in crisis that faces a deficit of 200,000 teachers.

Basic foods for a family of four people cost US $ 500 per month: 38 times the average salary of a teacher, historically poorly paid, but never as little as now.

María Cerezo is 70 years old and 39 in the profession. He juggled with the family budget that complements her daughter, also teacher, and her husband, lawyer.

It is already difficult to get to the end of the month with common expenses, buy clothes is out of the equation.

But a second -hand store open for the teachers union allows you to consider it. Cerezo walks through the clotheslines, between pants and blouses.

A blue nylon dress with White Lunar like it; Enter the tester and turn in front of the mirror to see how your silhouette swams. It costs US $ 2, which at that time does not have. It hides it among other garments to buy it the next day.

The solidarity wardrobe – the name of the establishment – was launched in December by the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (FVM) and sells garments at prices between one and four.

“In extinction”

President Nicolás Maduro insists that the low salaries are a consequence of the international sanctions that reduced the country’s income, although experts argue that precariousness came from before.

The minimum salary is equivalent to US $ 2, which the government complements with bonuses. In the private sector the average salary is around US $ 200.

“This situation is terror”, Laments. “Before (…) one bought clothes, shoes, electrical artifacts. Now you can’t”

Maduro has called teachers to return to classrooms and promise them “raise”Its quality of life with transport, health and food subsidies, as well as housing credits.

Most public schools operate only two or three days per week, so that teachers can search with other jobs that complement their leaflets.

Some chose to give private classes in their homes; Others simply left teaching and searched for other trades; And a good part is part of the almost eight million Venezuelans who migrated since 2014 in search of better opportunities.

Cerezo for now rules out from the country. He works at the Pedagogical Institute of Caracas, educating the low generation of relief.

The registration of new students in the education career fell almost 90% between 2008 and 2022, according to an academic report.

“The educators of my time are in extinction, those of now nothing to do”, Sanction Cerezo.

The FVM also has programs to help members with medicines, food or in case of disease.

“Variety”

Kethy Mendoza is the coordinator of the initiative. Also teacher, he receives his client colleagues, help them with the garments, he thinks.

“This crisis does not allow you to even buy a silent clothes, how do you ask students to arrange their school”, Regrets Mendoza.

Everything is arranged in the solidarity closet: Full taders, mirrors here and there, a tester.

Receive the merchandise to consignment, much comes from other teachers who receive 50% of the cost with the option to donate it and the other 50% remains in the foundation to maintain the operation.

Cerezo walks through the store, watching. Bought the dress … “I will return by pants”