A sea of umbrellas flooded Santiago’s central Plaza de Armas around midday last Wednesday as teachers, high schoolers, university students, and parents took over the rainy Santiago streets in a national protests called by the Teacher’s Association. The protest was against the General Education Law (LGE), an education reform package being put forward to replace the existing Organic Constitutional Education Law (LOCE).
Marchers Say Education Officials Are Changing LGE “Behind Teachers and Students’ Backs”
A sea of umbrellas flooded Santiago’s central Plaza de Armas around midday last Wednesday as teachers, high schoolers, university students, and parents took over the rainy Santiago streets in a national protests called by the Teacher’s Association. The protest was against the General Education Law (LGE), an education reform package being put forward to replace the existing Organic Constitutional Education Law (LOCE).
“More than 90 percent of teachers in the country did not hold classes today to support this national movement,” said Jaime Gajardo, the president of the Teacher’s Association. “With all the obstacles people faced today, including the rain, transportation, and police interference, I would say that more than 5,000 people arrived, making this strike an astounding accomplishment.”
In the Plaza de Armas, Gajardo, along with other influential leaders of the education reform movement, spoke to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters.
“From Arica in the north to the Straight of Magellan in the south, teachers are on strike," Gajardo said.Commenting on the objective of Wednesday’s gathering, he added, “The LGE reform does not represent what the majority of the country wants and we need to stop it from passing through Congress now.”
As leaders spoke, protestors continued to file into the Plaza de Armas, some with picket signs and others with puppets of penguins (representing high school students for their black and white uniforms). A group of students from Vaparaíso, Chile´s largest port city in Region V, created a huge puppet of President Bachelet, dressed in the typical suite she uses for the state of the union address. Bachelet just recently gave her State of the Nation speech on May 21 and made little mention of the student demands.
Wednesday’s march to the Plaza de Armas marked the third week of organized protest against the LGE. After two previous protests, more than 30 Metropolitan Region high schools have either ceased classes or have been taken over by students, while their university counterparts have also taken over faculties in various universities, including the emblematic Universidad de Chile, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (UTEM), and the Universidad de Santiago.
On Tuesday, Education Minister Mónica Jiménez announced she would like to make some changes to the LGE. Most important, said Jiménez, is the need to cut the deadline for education facility administrators to declare themselves non-profit from four years to one. She also expressed a desire to not rush the LGE through Congress.
“I am glad she has made the decision she has, so we can have more time for discussion,” said Gajardo. Still he remained unconvinced that she really sides with the teachers and students. “She has been trying to make modifications behind the backs of teachers and students,” alleged Gajardo.
Along with the Teacher’s Association, other related groups involved in the education reform movement – including the Student Federation of the Universidad de Chile (FECH) and the Metropolitan Association of Parents and Guardians (AMPA) – made a significant impact with their presence on Wednesday.
“We cannot continue to accept small advances on this law,” said FECH president Jaime Zamorano. “Rather, there needs to be a structural reform in Chile’s education system.” As a solution, Zamorano presented the idea of creating a project where all social actors participate. “There has been talk of a Popular Law, or a Participative Law, but still nothing concrete,” Zamorano said.
Zamorano also defended the student educational movement, insisting it is not anarquistic. “Those of us fighting for education reform do not want to alienate the government, rather, we want to work together,” said Zamorano. “There are people from the right that we cannot dismiss because they vote in parliament, too.”
The march to the Plaza de Armas was authorized by the Metropolitan Regional authorities. But at the end of the Teacher’s Association’s act in the plaza, protestors decided to march towards the Education Ministry, an exit plan that had not been accepted by regional authorities.
As a result, conflicts erupted. High school students who managed to reach the Alameda began blocking traffic and were later dispersed by police armed with water canons and tear gas.
Student spokespeople said their protest was growing and predicted this year’s movement will be as large and possibly larger than the massive student protests of 2006.
Thomás Rothe can be reached at editor@santiagotimes.cl