The government and four education unions met on Monday, September 28, to discuss the position of teachers and other bottlenecks in education. According to President Jennifer Simons, several matters need to be worked out more quickly. The unions will meet again with Minister Dirk Currie of Education, Science and Culture on Tuesday.
Attending the meeting at the Kabinet van de President were the Federatie van Organisaties van Leerkrachten in Suriname (FOLS), the Bond van Leraren (BvL), the Alliantie voor Leerkrachten in Suriname (ALS) and the Syndicaat voor Onderwijsgevenden in Suriname (SOS). Ministers Marinus Bee of Binnenlandse Zaken and Adelien Wijnerman of Financiën en Planning were also present.
Currie says his ministry is reviewing with the unions the agreement that was signed in June. This involves determining which agreements have already been implemented and which issues remain outstanding.
According to Bee, the president has instructed that a working group be formed. Binnenlandse Zaken will coordinate the work, together with the Ministry of Education and the unions involved. The working group is to develop solutions for the bottlenecks discussed. It has not yet been announced which issues will be given priority and when the working group will present results.
