Speaking to the Lusa agency, Diavava Bernardo, who was arrested by the police last week, following the march in which around 300 students took part, said that he went to the school, where he had been teaching for less than ten days, to give classes, but was informed that he should speak with the director-general first.
"I was called by the pedagogical director for a quick conversation, where he told me that I couldn't enter the room without talking to the director-general. Then the director-general appeared and told me that, in order for me to enter the room, it was necessary to go before the inspection office to meet the inspectors of Viana", he said.
The teacher stressed that, on Monday, he had already been contacted by inspectors for "an inquiry" into the incident last Thursday with students at school 5008, in the municipality of Viana, who were protesting against the lack of desks.
Lusa was at the school on Monday, but was only authorized to collect images and it was not possible to obtain statements from the management.
However, the Minister of Education, Luísa Grilo, considered that the initiative was "hasty" and that the teacher was "reckless" exposing children to risks on public roads.
The group of students, aged between 8 and 15 years old, was dispersed by the police, hearing gunshots that generated panic among the students in videos that circulated on social networks.
Diavava Bernardo, a teacher for ten years, said that he was received "euphorically" by the students who greeted him, creating "almost a riot", and forcing the intervention of the pedagogical director to place them in the classroom.
Diavava Bernardo, who teaches the discipline of physics, said that he had already been heard by the inspectors and that the process is ongoing, expressing concern about the fact that there is already a disciplinary process, without having been heard before.
"What catches my attention is finding a disciplinary process already on the director's table about me, they didn't listen to me and started the disciplinary process, it was already on the director's table", he observed.
Asked what crime he is being accused of, the professor preferred not to comment on the case, on the advice of his lawyer, evoking the secrecy of justice, noting only that he is under terms of identity and residence.
Luanda police spokesman, Nestor Goubel, said, regarding the case, that a crime of material damage was committed, with the alleged destruction of about 50 wallets, damage estimated at 1.750 million kwanzas.
Regarding this accusation, Diavava Bernardo considered that "it doesn't make sense".
"I also heard that I am being accused of that, it makes no sense, so much so that at the inspection they told me that they even have videos", said the teacher, questioning: "How is it possible to break desks, if desks were the motto of our march? How is it possible?".
"They said it was after we left so if it's after we left it's not the group I was with," he added.
The teacher is also accused of having exposed the students who participated in the protest to danger, arguing that "there are things that need to be changed urgently".
"There are situations that are emergency and punctual. If I looked at it from that angle, I believe we wouldn't be close to having the wallets," he said.
