00:00Welcome back to From the South. On Monday, Venezuela will begin a new school year,
00:05having made significant progress in terms of enrollment, teacher, training and infrastructure.
00:12Education Minister Hector Rodriguez announced that more than 6 million students are enrolled
00:18in the national education system, representing a substantial increasing enrollment figures
00:24over the past two years. With regard to infrastructure, Rodriguez confirmed that
00:29schools affected by the June 24 earthquakes have been repaired. A key challenge for the education
00:35sector is the shortage of specialist teachers through, though the national government has
00:41successfully reduced this and is collaborating with 56 universities offering education degrees to
00:48ensure that the training of new professionals meets the needs of the education system. The minister also
00:54referred to the impact of unilateral sanctions imposed against the country on teachers' salaries.
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