Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan students announced that they will march on Saturday against the lack of desks, teaching materials, basic sanitation, drinking water and a shortage of teachers in schools in Luanda, accusing the authorities of trying to make the protest impossible.
“This march will have the purpose of protesting against the lack of water in schools, the lack of basic sanitation, the lack of bathrooms, teaching materials and even the lack of teachers”, said the provincial secretary of the Angolan Students Movement (MEA), Estória Augusto António.
Speaking to Lusa, the student said that these shortcomings are present in most schools in the Angolan capital: “These are the weaknesses that we see in almost all public schools in Luanda.”
The march against the lack of conditions in schools in the Angolan capital is an initiative of the provincial secretariat of the MEA, with the gathering scheduled for Largo do Mercado de São Paulo, ending at Largo do 1o de Maio.
Estória Augusto António said that the march was communicated to the Provincial Government of Luanda (GPL) and the Provincial Command of the National Police, stating that other activities were scheduled in the same perimeter to, allegedly, make the protest unfeasible.
“We are certain that our activity will take place, although it may be made unfeasible by the JMPLA (youth wing of the ruling party), which also has an activity in the same place (…), there is also another activity alluding to Peace Day, but this is to provoke fights, but we will react pedagogically”, said the MEA official.
Estória António accused the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) of allegedly “always trying to make unviable the activities that they consider to be an affront [to the established power]”, highlighting that public demonstrations are legally safeguarded.
“This country is ours, we also have rights, we are just demanding what is enshrined in the Basic Education Law, which they themselves approved. Therefore, what is enshrined in the law must be complied with, the country belongs to all of us (…) and we have the right to demand what is ours”, he added.
The association leader guaranteed that the MEA “will not allow insults”, because the authorities, namely the GPL and the national police, have already been informed: “Our activity will take place this Saturday and we will not respond to insults, as has happened previously”, he concluded.
Luanda is also expected to host, on Saturday, April 26, a march commemorating 23 years of peace, called by the Council of Christian Churches in Angola (CICA) and a youth consultation meeting scheduled for the Belas Conference Center.
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