to her.
Can you describe for us. Vilma, the conditions which exist for children in working class schools in El Calvador?
The conditions which exist ir. Salvadorean schools are serv poor and very, very sad. Our schools lack even the most basic teaching materials. here al C schools which don't even have desks at which the enniaren call Sit and we have classes of 40 or 45 pupils, packed that they can't OCCLICI even write.
teachers have to work in really very difficult conditions. In the first place the salary is very low and so doesn't cover their basic needs. SecondIy, teachers are faced with great pain because of the face for the very fact of being teachers. They constantly nave l0 take security measures just io survive.
Salvadorean teachers must avoid establishing a their work.
Each morning they must arrive five minutes earner or five minutes later because the army watching them. There have been several cases of teachers who have arrived at school every day at the same time and have been assassinated.
Teachers do not sleep reacefully at night it's quite usual for the military to come ana lake you vul of your house at night and simply dissapCan you tell us about the ANDES, history June and the work that it does?
ANDES was founded in 1965 and since the beginning one of its aims has been o gain for teachers the dignity had been denied us and to establish rights teachers But ANDES has always been conscious of the need not o forget the problems of he people. Teachers in El Salvador are not a privileged class set above the peoFie.
We come from families af peasants and workers and so we are well linked the people. In our history these are the dates of the two national strikes of ANDES. 1968 1971, are very important.
On these dates the teachers Laught the Salvadorean people very important practical about organisation.
We taught that the way win our rights through organisation, even though this has cost dearly. teachers have been assassinated. 54 have disappeared. Seven reachers are in prison and more than 3000 are in exLe.
The price has been very high. But teachers are conscious or lne neca lo go on fighting.
How do unions organise under the extreme conditions of repression which workers, tact charge careful the tain activity the confor ANDES Campaign?
solidarity support by government the Minister of Education.
is For example that the which can learn.
doesn't have the position Wat • We don't ally people.
The Salvadorean represent any kind of solution to the problems because the problems lie much deeper.
Duarte already been in power as part of the junta and in that period the most horrible crimes were committed there were large numbers of deaths. Duarte did nothing to stop them. he is unconditionally at the service of the United States.
The solution in El Salvador dialogue. I nis snoulan l De secul a. being just between two sides, the government and the guerrillas. The whole of the Salvadorean people, the oppressed the working people struggle, not just a group. In the meantime. until we arrive Recondlily solution, we have to continue on the military road, in which case the people have to continue fighting. At play in Chalatenango province it continues to back MarBut this does nothing
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VILMA SOTO CAMPOS, the European represen- tative of ANDES, the Salvadorean teachers union, was in Edinburgh two weeks ago. GILL LEE spoke