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This is a loose chronological set of the penguin revolution that has rocked Chile and the Bachelet Government. It is called the penguin revolution, because of the traditional school uniforms worn by most students. Boys wear a blue blazer, white shirt with a tie with school colours and grey slacks. Girls wear a blue jumper with a white shirt and tie, or they also wear a kilt with a shirt.
Tuesday May 31, 2006
600 thousand high school students took to the streets throughout Chile, in the largest demonstration yet since they began protesting for a better public education system over a month ago. High school students staged their largest nation wide walkout since the beginning of the students’ demands for a better education system. High school students began demonstrations after long standing meetings failed to produce any results on the student’s demands.
In April, students staged national demonstrations fiercely repressed by the police, but then they changed tactics by staging sit-ins, lectures, locking down schools and virtually shutting down public high schools in Chile’s main cities in the last ten days. Caught in the middle was a government change, a new minister of Education and officials who had to deal with student demands percolating for over a year.
The student demonstrations came just a month after the new government took office last March. But the demonstration was marred in Santiago by the violent action of police that broke up marches; sit ins, peaceful gatherings of students in public places. The police even beat up journalists sending four of them to hospital
While the students marched, their leaders met with the Minister of Education, Martin Zilic. After the meeting, high school student spokesperson Maximiliano Mellado described what happened at the meeting. Mellado says, “the meeting had two objectives; first we worked on short-term demands, on Wednesday (June 1) we will discuss the long-term demands, like changes to the school curriculum and changes in the education legislation.”
“In this meeting, we talked about school nutrition programs, student bus pass and student fares.”
The students are demanding free bus fare, a national bus pass, free university entrance exam fee, reform to the school curriculum and the reform to the education act.
The Education Act is a constitutional piece of legislation passed by the Pinochet regime hours before the return to democratic rule that transforms the educational system into a tradable commodity.
The public system was dumped onto municipal government but funded by the Central government.
There are also publicly funded private schools that give any person the right to open a private school as a public-private partnership with government vouchers that pay for each student, which sucks funds from the strained public school system.
Also, private schools discriminate on the students it takes, dumping the so-called children from working families into the underfunded public system.
Minister Zilic, says the meeting is “a great democratic exercise, we are moving forward and happy. We will continue meeting Wednesday. I will not break the agreement I made with the students of discussing in public what we talked until an agreement is reached.”
After the meeting, all participants agreed to keep all information under wraps. Student spokesperson María Jesus Sanhueza, says the student’s assembly will know first what was discussed.
“We had 600 thousand students on the streets it is they who are pushing for our demands, is them who put forward the five-point program.” Sanhueza says “we speak for them, but they will decide what demands will be given priority in the negotiations with the ministry.”
However, what stood out was not only the resolve of the students and their organizational capacity, but the heavy-handed action of the police. Student leader Karina Delfino called it a disgrace.
She says “it is shameful how the police acted, it is shameful of how it treated us as students and how it beat up journalists. We cannot accept that people are hurt in a protest that began without incidents, police used extreme violence.”
The meetings will continue until an agreement is reached.
In Congress, legislators of all stripes say they are prepared to change the Education Act by the giving the needed quorum.
But before it reaches Congress, the students must approve any deal.
The students’ strike continues.
Friday June 2, 2006
More than 400 students from throughout Chile are meeting in an assembly to study the government response to their demands. The Government is waiting for the high school students’ answer to the Government proposal in response to the students’ demands.
On a national Televised address to the nation, last night (June 1), President Michelle Bachelet gave her government’s response to high school students who have been on strike for over two weeks.
The Government gave in to most of the student’s demands, President Bachelet says the government will issue:
A free national bus pass.
Waive the for nearly all students university entrance exams fee.
Increase government subsidies to poor families.
And create a broad commission to discuss changes to the Education Act, so that it would guarantee the right to an education.
After studying the government response, the students are expected to meet with the Minister of Education to let the Government know if they accept the proposal or if they will continue negotiating on issues.
If an agreement is not reached, the students have called for a national strike, Monday.
Teachers, health care workers, and university students have pledged their support and plan to join the national strike.
The students’ strike continues.
Monday June 5, 2006
The National Work Stoppage Day has been successful, as students have organized a series of peaceful actions throughout the country. Teacher’s union and health care workers have pledged their active support.
This despite winning most of their demands, high school students in Chile, called for today a National Strike. Students are aiming to pressure the government to include them in an education commission. There have been some disorders, but the day is mostly peaceful.
University students have temporarily suspended classes in support of the high school students.
However, in downtown Santiago, there have been running battles between police and stone-throwing students and hooded youths.
President Michelle Bachelet regretted the action, saying that the government has answered most of their demands. She says her government will create a commission that includes students, that will reform the Education Act, to ensure that education is a constitutionally protected right instead of a for-profit enterprise.
As the government response to the student’s demands has received widespread approval from the public, the students will have to thread in careful waters to ensure their gains are not lost with pressure tactics that continue without an end in sight.
The students’ strike continues.
Wednesday June 7, 2006
High School students travel to meet with Congress in the port city of Valparaíso, some 100 kilometres east of Santiago. Students heard an Upper Chamber meeting, where Senators heard from Minister of Education Martin Zilic.
Students became agitated and upset as Senators gave speeches in favour of their demonstrations, but would not commit towards changing the legislation. From the Upper Chamber gallery, student leaders yelled and screamed at Senators and a student leader gave an impassionate speech to Senators as they walked out from the Chamber.
When President Bachelet introduced the Commission, she told the press that the freedom of education will not be touched, but it will yield to the right to an education.
The Commission will include students, but they continue with their strike.
Thursday June 8, 2006
The Student’s assembly continues to discuss the Presidential Education Commission. However, they have yet to reach an agreement if they will join or not the Commission. There is tension among students as the strike is dragging longer than anticipated. The students’ strike continues.
