Venezuelan Education Minister Yelitze Santaella. File photo.
Venezuelan Education Minister Yelitze Santaella issued a statement aimed at providing clarity regarding the introduction of QR code-based attendance tracking in schools, a measure that had stirred up a significant amount of debate.
Last Saturday, Minister Santaella announced the forthcoming implementation of an electronic attendance system in the country’s educational institutions, employing QR codes. In response to the ensuing controversy, on Thursday, October 5, she elaborated that the Ministry of Education is collaborating with the Ministry of Planning to facilitate the distribution of QR code technology to schools.
She emphasized that the introduction of this system should not be misconstrued as an attempt by the government to “monitor the attendance of teachers, let alone engage in any form of persecution.”
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She further noted that the controversy had arisen from “contentious statements attributed to her by the media.”
Minister Santaella took the opportunity to commend the dedication and valor exhibited by Venezuelan teachers in the important work they do.
She emphasized that, as a teacher, she supports the teachers’ rightful demand for a respectable salary, however the government faces many limitations in meeting these demands. These limitations, she explained, stem from the economic blockade imposed on Venezuela by the United States and the European Union, which has paralyzed the government’s capacity to invest in the field of education.
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She said that in the area of social services, her ministry has assisted 6 million people, 49% of whom are teachers and their family members. “Since the beginning of 2023, we have assisted 1.9 million Venezuelans, including teachers and their family members,” Santaella stated. “Almost 10,000 operations have been carried out jointly with Misión Milagro.”
Misión Milagro is an international solidarity campaign launched in 2004 by the governments of Cuba and Venezuela to provide free medical treatment for people with eye problems.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ/
