“We’ve faced some tough times, including days in which we have nothing to eat,” said Rosmary Nieves, a special education teacher in Caracas.
Photographer: Gaby Oraa/BloombergTeachers Are Going Hungry on $20 Monthly Salaries in Venezuela
Protests led by public school educators over low pay and poor working conditions have emerged as a threat to President Nicolás Maduro.
The Doctor Enrique Delgado Palacios public elementary school in southern Caracas was forced to close after water leaks caused its walls and ceilings collapse. For almost five months now, its 612 students have been taking twice-a-week lessons in a warehouse nearby. Some of these students can’t read, even by the age of 12.
For enduring all this, the teachers are paid around $20 a month — about 5% the amount needed to feed a family of five in the South American country.