(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – If schools would start a month earlier, teachers would not only demand air-conditioned classrooms but also more pay. More than half of the teachers surveyed on the issue of bringing Surinamese school holidays in line with those of the region, say they agree as long as their demands are met.
The debate on whether to adjust the vacation periods has been a hot issue for some time. A de Ware Tijd poll shows that of the 29 interviewed teachers, 16 (55.2 %) are in favour of a change while 13 (44.8%) are against. Union leaders consider September the most suitable month for the school holidays, and any change could be wrecking.
However, Marcellino Nerkust, Fols unionist, is open to discuss the issue. ‘What we should do is find ways to allow our members to participate in the discussion, because this is not an issue that can be forced down their throat.’ The Fols, a teacher union, has 8,600 members. Nerkust says Surinamese teachers do not object to working in hot months when they are offered jobs abroad. They then mainly fall for the financial attraction, which allows them to set up a better life. Suriname is the only country in the Caribbean where schools start in October. The hot weather is one of the pressing reasons to hold on to this schedule. Wilgo Valies does not object to changing, but he needs the sun for his summer holiday.
