"If the state does not put water drums, do not repair the toilets, do not put the figure of a cleaning lady, the vigilante and do not put security in the schools we will not accept the return of the classes who comes from the position," said on Tuesday the president of the MEA, Francisco Teixeira.
The association leader, who was speaking in Luanda during a joint press conference also promoted by Angolan political party youth organizations with a parliamentary seat, said his movement "is strong enough to stop [the classes] if the government does not create the basic conditions.
General education classes in Angola were suspended in March before the President, João Lourenço, decreed a state of emergency that took effect in the country between 25 March and 25 May, in order to contain the spread of covid-19.
The resumption of classes in higher education and secondary education is planned for 13 July, but "dependent on the evolution of the epidemiological situation" in the light of the decree determining the public disaster situation in Angola.
The decree that declared the situation of public calamity, in force in the country since 26 May, also foresees the resumption of classes in 1st cycle of secondary and primary education from 27 July.
For Francisco Teixeira, "it's premature" to talk about the resumption of classes "when the country has schools without security, in most of the public schools in the country the toilets do not work and students are forced to make physiological needs at home".
"We're talking about a country that hasn't held a cleaning and security competition for public schools for more than four years," he said.
According to the president of the MEA, the problem of restarting classes in the country is seen from the perspective of "two Angolas", being "one with degraded public schools and without desks and others with private schools where they study children of the country's leaders.
"So from our Angola, in the periphery, we are not prepared, but from their Angola they are prepared, because there is a group of individuals who want to transform education into commerce and urges that we have to restart classes now," he said.
Besides the MEA, the United and Revolutionary Youth of Angola (JURA), the Youth Patriotics of Angola (JPA), the Youth of the Social Renewal Party (JURS) and the Youth of the National Liberation Front of Angola (JFNLA) were the promoters of the press conference, which looked at the situation in Angola at the time of the pandemic.
