MST Occupies 11 Municipalities in Bahia for Education

Since Tuesday (January 10, 2012), the MST has occupied eleven municipalities in the state of Bahia. Six municipalities were occupied School Drawingduring the first days of mobilization, three on Wednesday (January 11) and two more on Thursday (January 12). Altogether, more than 3,500 rural workers participated in the actions.

According to the state leader of the MST, Evanildo Costa, the main agendas framed by the Movement is the issue of insecurity in the field of education. "We have cases of settlements where the school bus is broken and for 30 days the kids have to go to school on foot. Cases where children walk 15 km to study. Many of them are studying in makeshift schools, because the mayor cannot build [schools] or make the necessary reforms. The schools lack teacher’s desks, a blackboard for lessons, beyond the precariousness of the roads, "he says.

This discussion of the problems in the field of education is not new, Evanildo recalls. Similar action had occurred last year, when some local governments had also been occupied.

However, problems persist. And according to the leader, social pressure is the only way to be able to negotiate popular demands. "We cannot allow classes to begin in the same conditions as last year, so to the extent we take the month of January for occupations where we have difficulty moving these issues forward in the city halls," says the director.

Of the eleven municipalities occupied until now, only two have expressed an opinion and have already vacated the buildings: the municipality of Tabelas and Itajuípe for which negotiations have been held and pledged to solve the problems pointed out by the Movement.

The other nine - the municipalities of Prado, Camamu, Igrapiúna, Rodelas, Queimadas, Santa Brígida, Curaçá e Mucuri - remain occupied until the demands are met.

"We have a short term - until March [Ed. When school begins after summer break] - so get to meet our guidelines. Otherwise, we will resume the process of mobilization of women [during the week around International Women’s Day, March 8] - and in the Red April [the week around International Day of Peasant Struggle – April 17], "he says.

New occupations will still take place throughout the month of January, a figure which could rise to over 25 municipalities and will have occupations by more than five thousand organized workers.
Occupations of Municipalites in Bahia
Closing schools

Since 2002, more than 37,000 schools in the countryside have been closed throughout Brazil, according to figures from the school census of the INEP [National Institute of Educational Studies].

To Evanildo, "there's no way to disassociate the struggle for agrarian reform with policies for education. It's no use having the settlement, with people making and improving life, but without having improved the issue of education. With the same insistence that we make the struggle for land, we also make the fight for education, health, shelter. For people in addition to land to work also have more dignity in the process of struggle for agrarian reform, "he explains.

Furthermore, it indicates the need for education in the countryside to be focused on the countryside and is made in the rural. Especially for the teaching method to be in sync with the reality of these children.

January 11, 2012