GARCIA GEARS UP TO TAKE ON POWERFUL, LEFT-WING

UNCLAS LIMA 000033

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PE
SUBJECT: GARCIA GEARS UP TO TAKE ON POWERFUL, LEFT-WING
TEACHERS UNION

Sensitive but Unclassified. Please handle accordingly.


1. (U) Summary: The GOP is taking on Peru's powerful
left-wing teachers union, SUTEP, in an effort to advance much
needed education reform. In round one of the confrontation,
GOP Minister of Education Jose Chang scheduled a competency
test for teachers on December 20. The test was stolen and
published on SUTEP's website. Chang re-scheduled the test
for January 8. SUTEP has imposed conditions for the exam,
among them the idea that the results be kept secret. This
conflict will test the GOP's commitment to education reform,
its willingness to confront vested interests that oppose
needed reforms and its ability to manage social tension. End
Summary


2. (U) The Garcia Administration is heading toward a
show-down with the Unified Syndicate of Educational Workers
of Peru (SUTEP) over a state mandated basic skills exam for
school teachers. SUTEP is a powerful organization of public
school teachers (claiming 300,000 members) with radical
leadership rooted in the Maoist wing of the Peruvian
Communist Party, Patria Roja (Red Fatherland). SUTEP has
consistently opposed education reform under the claim of
protecting the livelihoods of its members and regularly
incites strikes and demonstrations. The organization
officially holds anti-capitalist and anti-U.S. positions.


3. (U) Minister of Education Jose Chang was forced to
postpone the exam, initially scheduled for December 20,
because SUTEP had secured a copy and posted it on its
website. Media allegations about whether SUTEP stole the
exam itself or was given a copy were flying around fast and
furious for nearly a week. Chang rescheduled the exam, with
President Garcia's support for January 8, 2006.


4. (U) Since 1978, representatives of the Patria Roja have
maintained control over SUTEP's leadership. In May 2003, the
GOP declared a national state of emergency in response to a
SUTEP-led teachers' strike. Despite their effectiveness at
getting benefits for the teachers, SUTEP strikes are a
double-edged sword, often causing great public discomfort and
popular anger. In addition, there is widespread public
dissatisfaction with the quality of public education in Peru,
which has led many to question the effectiveness of its
leadership and the undemocratic nature of its indirect
election system that consistently produces a Patria
Roja-dominated leadership. (Note: According to a 2004
Ministry of Education Evaluation, less than 13 percent of 6th
grade students mastered communication skills and less than 8
percent mastered math skills from the national curriculum.
The study showed no change in achievement from 1998 testing.
End Note.) The majority of teachers do not share political
allegiance to Patria Roja. Nevertheless, SUTEP negotiates
teachers' salaries and benefits and controls a large
pension/benefits fund sustained by contributions from
teachers' salaries. This gives the radical leadership
enormous leverage over the organization.


5. (SBU) Comment: President Garcia and Minister Chang are
making a serious push for educational reform with this
mandatory teacher testing and drawing a line in the sand with
SUTEP. They also appear to be moving carefully, backing
SUTEP into the position of refusing teacher testing and
possibly threatening a nationwide strike, both of which would
likely be unpopular. President Garcia told CODEL Reid that
the GOP would stand firm. If successful, this could become a
beachhead for a key institutional reform. SUTEP has several
cards to play, however. An all out confrontation could test
the GOP's political will in this vital area and signal the
extent of its commitment to stay the course of reform in the
face of obstinacy. End Comment.

STRUBLE