Parents are raising concerns over the teachers’ planned strike on Wednesday, 19 November, with the national parents’ federation warning that the proposed timetable makes it impossible for pupils to attend school. In a statement, the federation said parents oppose teachers’ strike actions that require students to arrive at 11am, coinciding with the first article-by-article debate on the new teacher evaluation regulations at the House Education Committee.
The federation stressed that 48,000 pupils will be affected, noting that over 55% rely on school buses. It added that it is unrealistic to expect 96,000 parents to leave work at 11am to drive their children to school.
The group said the situation creates significant disruption and unequal treatment for pupils who cannot attend, and urged the Ministry of Education to accept its position that no students should attend school for the entire day.
Federation: 11am attendance “serves no educational purpose”
According to the statement, allowing only a small number of students to attend after 11am has no meaningful educational value. The federation added that while the right to strike is protected under Article 27 of the Constitution, and trade union freedom under Article 21(2), the right of every child to education- enshrined in Article 20- must also be respected.
“We fully respect institutions and the right to claim better conditions,” the federation said, “but we cannot support the loss of teaching time. Children have a right to education, and that right must not be undermined by disputes over trade union demands.”
The federation expressed hope that the parliamentary process under way will lead to a resolution on teacher evaluation, putting an end to the disruption and difficulties caused by such protest actions.
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