GUATEMALA CITY – Thousands of Guatemalan public school teachers impeded the start of the 2010 school year, staging a large demonstration on Friday to demand an increase in the education budget.

“More than 40,000 teachers from all over the country” took part in the demonstration, which covered the main streets of Guatemala City’s historical center, the leader of the ANM union, Joviel Acevedo, said.

A police spokesman, however, gave a much lower estimate, saying the number of demonstrators was “between 5,000 and 10,000.”

The teachers taking part in the protest – which coincided with the official start of the 2010 school year and affected some 3.22 million students at more than 33,000 public schools nationwide – were demanding a 3.6-billion-quetzal ($438,000) increase in the Education Ministry’s budget, set by Congress at 8.4 billion quetzals ($1 million).

Education in Guatemala has been free of charge since last year and each elementary school will receive $4.78 per student and each middle and high school $11.96 per student in 2010.

President Alvaro Colom, for his part, called on teachers taking part in the protests to end the protest and go back to work.

“Together with the Education Ministry, we’ll analyze the disciplinary measures to take against (teachers) who do not show up for their classes, but there will be no dismissals,” Colom said. EFE