A senior Surinamese parliamentary figure has publicly thrown his full support behind a national collective action by teachers, calling on the government to end years of broken promises and deliver tangible improvements to educators’ underpaid and under-resourced working conditions.
Poetini Atompai, a member of the National Assembly for the NPS party and chair of the body’s permanent education committee, told local outlet Starnieuws he aligns entirely with the joint education unions’ call for teachers to stay away from work starting Monday to participate in a national consultation over long-outstanding demands. The action will remain in place until the government implements concrete steps to honor prior agreements and meet long-overdue financial commitments to the nation’s teaching workforce.
Atompai, who previously led the Surinamese Police Union, argues that after years of empty pledges, the government can no longer delay providing clear answers on when and how educators’ professional and financial standing will be improved. He stressed that financial constraints cannot be an indefinite excuse for the persistent struggles teachers face, noting that many currently survive on a monthly salary of just 13,000 Surinamese dollars, paired with inadequate work infrastructure and support. This current situation is no longer sustainable, he added.
Since taking office as a lawmaker, Atompai says he has repeatedly raised alarm over teachers’ legal and employment rights, bringing the issue to the attention of relevant authorities across the government. “Teachers have no visibility into any improvements to their situation. We promised them progress, and now we owe them clarity on what will be done, how it will happen and when it will happen. That is why this action is necessary right now,” Atompai stated.
He pushed back on the government’s justification of limited public finances, arguing that this does not justify abandoning the country’s educators. “If there is no money, are teachers just supposed to die?” he asked. Atompai recalled that the current administration raised expectations for improved living standards during its election campaign, and it therefore has a binding responsibility to deliver on those promises.
Drawing on his observations over the past year in office, Atompai offered a sharp rebuke of the country’s political leadership. “Based on everything I have seen over the past year in politics, my clear conclusion is this: the political establishment has other priorities. Moving the country forward is not its number one goal,” he said.
Currently, the government and the Ministry of Education are holding ongoing negotiations with the education unions over the demands.