In the midst of the scenario of uncertainty caused by the pandemic of the new coronavirus, teachers of Indigenous Education in Roraima denounce the lack of basic items to prepare teaching materials and even threats of salary cuts after the state government's decision to resume classes in the public school system in the Distance Education (EAD) modality.
As a measure to control covid-19, the government suspended classes in the state network in March and on April 6 decreed the resumption of activities in the non-face-to-face online modality and with the use of handouts for students who do not have internet. However, according to teachers and parents of students, indigenous schools lack structure for both methods. In the state, there are 264 indigenous schools with a total of 16,802 students.
"We don't have a photocopy machine in the schools or paper to serve all students," said teacher Reginaldo WaiWai, stating that the problem is repeated in the nine indigenous state schools of the WaiWai ethnic group. "We are preparing the handouts, but this is our difficulty."
The problem is the same in the Serra da Lua region, according to Getúlio Solon, coordinator of teachers in the region who also denounced pressure from the State Department of Education (SEED). He said that along with other colleagues he received a salary cut threat from the head of the Indigenous School Education Division (DIEI) if they did not quickly adapt to the operation in the distance education modality.
"Together with the community, we made a document saying how our methodology would work in the Serra da Lua region in the face of the pandemic, but we know that the decision of indigenous leaders has no value in the face of the oppressive system, so many teachers went back on the methodology we were planning and gave in because of the threats of salary cuts," said the teacher.
"Now here is the directed study, and for that we require support because we do not have a printer in schools, transportation and lunch for students who are at home," said the teacher.
According to another teacher at a school in the Amajari region, even with the resumption of classes on April 6, few students resumed their studies due to the lack of structure.
"In the Amajarí region there is a school with more than 400 students, but many live far away, on farms, and cannot even get the materials," said the teacher who for fear of reprisals asked not to have his name disclosed.
Marlene Silva, from the Tabalascada community, reported that she is very concerned about the way her son will study, as she fears that without the internet and the presence and guidance of teachers, he will not have the necessary understanding of the didactic content.
"I am worried because I don't know how these classes will be, how the student will understand each content without the explanation of the work by the teachers, and there are no handouts for everyone and not everyone has access to the internet" said Marlene.
Professor Edite Andrade, coordinator of the Organization of Indigenous Teachers of Roraima (Opirr), confirmed the lack of structure for holding classes in the distance modality and said that the situation was passed on to SEED.
"We made it clear that the schools had no structure and soon the state had to provide support to get teachers to be able to put their distance learning plans into practice," said the teacher, recalling that indigenous schools are still complying with the 2019 school calendar.
"Now, it is up to the teachers to plan the distance classes, saying what they will do during this period according to the specificities of the indigenous schools of differentiated education," he explained. "And it is up to the secretary to accept and execute the plans, but taking into account that no teacher can be held responsible at this time for delay in the start of classes, since we are all still adapting to the changes."