"We've heard it said that Angola is an extremely rich country (...), but we still have children studying under trees, children writing with notebooks on their laps," lamented Hermínia do Nascimento.
The union leader warned that the "lack of serious funding [for education] unfortunately occurs" in all African countries.
In turn, the general secretary of the Trade Union Confederation of Education of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, Heleno Araújo, told Lusa this Tuesday that education in the Lusophone world should not be seen as a place of competition, but of solidarity among peoples.
Helen Araújo, also president of the National Confederation of Education Workers of Brazil, was speaking to Lusa on the sidelines of the opening of the International Forum on Education of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, taking place in Bissau from this Tuesday to Friday.
The Forum is co-organized by the Education Trade Union Confederation of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP-SE) and Education International, bringing together representatives of teachers' unions from Portuguese-speaking countries at a hotel in Bissau.
When asked how to overcome the lack of government funding for the education sector, Heleno Araújo said that the problem affects "almost all Portuguese-speaking countries" and that they must abandon the spirit of competition among themselves and embrace solidarity.
He stated that assessments based on rankings should no longer be used: "If you're ranked first, it's because you're ranked last. That's for competition, for sports, which we enjoy, but not in education. Education must be equitable, education must be equal, solidarity, where everyone has equal rights everywhere in the world."
The general secretary of the Education Trade Union Confederation of Portuguese-Speaking Countries noted that the problem also affects Brazil, but that it could be resolved with "a serious audit" of the debts that governments claim to owe to third parties.
Helen Araújo believes that, without debt service, Portuguese-speaking countries would have enough money to finance education, health, housing, and other needs of the population.
The trade unionist also stated that Brazil and Portugal have a responsibility to do more in terms of solidarity in the education sector compared to the other CPLP countries. He said the same solidarity should be extended to the environmental sector.
The Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Scientific Research of Guinea-Bissau, Henry Mané, congratulated the CPLP education unions for holding the forum in Bissau and took the opportunity to highlight the recent elevation of the Bijagós archipelago to UNESCO World Heritage status.
The official noted that if Guinea-Bissau fully exploits the potential of the Bijagós Islands, it will have resources to finance the education and health sectors.
The resolutions of the International Education Forum of Portuguese-Speaking Countries will be delivered to the organization's heads of state, who will meet at a summit on Friday, also in Bissau.
