Current Events in Chile: Students on Strike

These past few weeks in Santiago have been chaotic in the streets because the nation’s youth have decided to go on strike. In Spanish they say that all of the high schools and universities are ‘en Paro,’ ‘en Toma,’ or ‘en Huelga.’ All of these terms literally mean that the students have stopped going to class and have taken over the buildings. For us foreigners, this has been very dramatic and unsettling. This is the biggest student protest since the seventies and although it is a privilege and at times exciting to be here it is also scary, confusing and frustrating.
The ‘Paro’ can be scary at times because although the protests are supposed to be non-violent, sometimes the demonstrations get out of control and the police use tear gas, huge water hoses, and physical violence. Every day the protests involve the students standing outside of their high schools shouting, holding up signs, putting the desks and chairs outside on the lawn and in the fences, marching in parades, holding meetings and giving speeches. Some students even stay the night in their high school to show their motivation and determination. For the past two weeks my sisters, who are both in high school, haven’t left the house because my parents think it is too dangerous for them to be involved in the striking.

The student strike is incredible here: it is amazing how the youth are able to band together and organize themselves to fight for change. The students are not striking for unreasonable reasons – in fact they are protesting for very good reasons. They are fighting for a more better and just education. Some of the things they want are cheaper student bus fares, smaller fees in the required college entrance exams, and a more equal education for all.
The university that I attend is also in ‘Paro.’ This means that I don’t have classes which is slightly frustrating because although I support the student movement, I have to finish my work here before I go home. It is not like the students here are striking simply to have time off from school; on the contrary, the days they miss here they have to make up in their summer vacation. On the college campus there are signs, protests, marches, speeches, meetings and widespread support. It is impressive how everyone is involved and that it seems that even the wealthier students see the need for change.
A recent article in the New York Times has described the events in Chile. I don’t think it has given enough weight to what is actually going on, but it is interesting to see the United State’s perspective on the issue. I have included a few quotes.

“Less than three months after she took office promising to lead a government that welcomed greater citizen participation, President Michelle Bachelet is facing her first domestic crisis. To the surprise of many here, the challenge comes not from the right but from a group expected to be sympathetic to her center-left coalition: high school students.”

“In protests that began in mid-May, more than 700,000 teenagers have walked out of classes at public high schools, demanding the overhaul of an education system they say is inferior and discriminatory. They have occupied several hundred schools, sleeping there overnight with sympathetic parents bringing them meals, and last week thousands marched in the streets of the capital here and in other cities in this nation of 16 million.”

“Their demands include more teachers and school construction, so as to reduce class sizes, and also the elimination of fees for the national college entrance exam and free bus fare. With prices of copper, the country's chief export, at record highs and government coffers bulging with years of budget surpluses, the students maintain that the state can afford to invest more in education.”

“The student movement enjoys widespread popular support here. The backing increased last week after the national police beat some marchers and sprayed others, a few as young as 12 and many dressed in black and white school uniforms, with tear gas and water cannons. The head of the police special forces unit has since been fired, and Ms. Bachelet has condemned what she described as the "excesses, abuses and unjustified violence."

It will be interesting to see how the actions of the students change the quality of education and I hope that their demands are met. For all of us studying here, the determined youth continue to be an example for us as to how strong a movement can be even if the ages of the supporters is young.

New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/05/world/americas/05chile.html?ex=1150171200&en=5ece87e4f87e28d1&ei=5070&emc=eta1