An extensive early history of the systemic socio-economic segregation of the Chilean educational system at every level imposed by the dictatorship’s utilization of vouchers can be found at: http://oberlinlikesme.tumblr.com/. In its process for privatization Chilean universities became some of the most expensive in the world consuming up to 40% of the budget of a middle income family, creating massive debt, while public spending on tertiary education reached an all time low at .5%. Additionally, many universities in the past 12 years had increased education by 60%. The cost of higher education combined with primary school’s systemic segregation of young people via the voucher system allowed only the privileged to gain a comprehensive education. The Chilean’s student’s battle cry was one for “free, quality, education at all levels and an end to veiled for profit education.”
Over the course of the last several years student leaders notably Camilla Vallejo and Giorgio Jackson organized protest marches to the presidential palace, government building takeovers, and flash-mobs generating thousands of views on youtube, demanding justice. Their demonstrations at times included banging on pots and pans, public art of empty tear gas canisters used against them arranged in the shape of peace signs, and occupation of streets with students seated in desks blocking highways. They utilized twitter and facebook to rally fellow students and publicized their movement bilingually through blogs to expand news-media coverage and international student support. Camilla Vallejo is viewed as the important face of the movement. She is only the second woman to head the National Student Union in its 105 years of operations and she used her position to demand student action claiming: "It is always the youth that make the first move … we don't have family commitments, this allows us to be freer. “It was through her social media that most protests where organized.
With persistent action, the new presidential candidate elected to office, Michelle Bachelet, ran on a platform of education reform. She has pledged to place public schools under national jurisdiction, eliminate schools’ ability to accept extra parental subsidies and hold screening processes, and abolish tuition for all colleges and universities. Bachelet plans to institute a new tax to raise more money for public schools. However, students are skeptical that these sweeping changes will occur and currently many still take to the streets to demand more immediate action. |
AuthorJulia Pearlstein-Levy |