Teachers Simulate Funeral for Public Vocational Training in Valencia

They denounce cuts, institutional neglect, and privatization of vocational training through a protest action in the Plaza de la Virgen.

Generic image of teachers simulating a funeral for public vocational training in Valencia.
IA

Generic image of teachers simulating a funeral for public vocational training in Valencia.

Vocational training teachers simulated "the funeral of public vocational training" this Thursday in Valencia's Plaza de la Virgen to denounce the elimination of training cycles and what they consider "cuts, institutional neglect, and covert privatization" by the Generalitat.

The protest action, which took place around 12:00 PM, complemented the gathering of teaching staff in front of Les Corts, as part of the ninth day of the indefinite strike in non-university public education. In front of the attendees, dozens of vocational training teachers, dressed in black, gathered with signs listing the names of disappeared courses and training programs. As the suppressed programs were announced through a megaphone, several teachers lay down on the ground, simulating the death of these studies.
From the organizers, it was explained that the teachers lying on the ground represented "the disappeared courses" and "the opportunities that are being stolen from us." They recalled that public vocational training "has opened doors and provided opportunities to thousands of young people" for decades.
During the event, a manifesto was read denouncing that the "death" of these courses "was not an accident" and that "they have not disappeared because they are not needed," but rather they are "killed by cuts, institutional neglect, and covert privatization." The protest criticized that, "while the public sector lacks resources and staff, others profit from the right to study," lamenting that "entire regions" are "condemned to have fewer opportunities."
The manifesto warned that "every course that is eliminated is a door that closes" and that "every cut is a stolen opportunity," asserting that "public vocational training is not a business."