Today, I want to go to a student protest. But will I?
No.
It’s not even midday yet and I have had to let my common sense prevail in telling me that going to a student protest would be the last thing I need to do on my last Thursday in Santiago. It is kind of like going to Bravissimo, the gelato place around the corner, and getting one of their MASSIVE bowls of gelato that has four gigantic scoops of the delectable dairy confection along with cookies, pieces of chocolate, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream: it looks so enticing, but it will wreck you in the end.
Although there have been other protests since we have been
here, today’s is the first official demonstration protesting for free education and
improving the quality of schools. The demonstration was organized by
the Leaders of the Confederation of the Chilean Students, an umbrella
organization of Chilean student federations.
Protests like the one today started gaining popularity back
in 2006 when high school student protests known as the Penguins’ Revolution, or
The March of the Penguins, began. These protests occurred from late April to
early June of 2006 and were given this name because of the students’ black and
white uniforms they wore. The students were protesting for free travel passes
on the metro, waiving the university admissions test fee, the end to
municipalization of subsidized education, and quality education for all.
The next onset of protests started in 2011, with high school
and university students protesting for direct state participation in secondary
education (paying for citizens’ college educations) and an end to the existence
of for-profit in higher education. These demonstrations were massive and heightened
in August of 2011, where sometimes they had upwards of 650,000 to one million
protesters who marched through the streets, many of them damaging public
property. They were the largest protests since the opposition marches of Augosto Pinochet in 1990. The protesters would also stage kiss-a-thons, hunger strikes, and
fake suicides to get the attention of the government so that their voices could
be heard.
Most college students in Santiago are skipping class today
to participate in the protest. If the protest becomes violent or destructive,
the Chilean police force will try to quell the protesters with the use of water
cannons, tear gas, and large military tanks. Although one may argue that it
would be a great cultural experience to see such a protest, I think I will kick
it here in Providencia for the day and count my blessings for living in a
country that does so much for its education system.
No comments:
Post a Comment