In Plain Words...

2006-07-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Check out the new blog at www.in-plain-words.com

2006-06-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

So once again the students had a national strike yesterday, and once again police and students clashed in the center of Santiago. It is hard to tell exactly where it is all going, everything seems to change rapidly.

It seems that this movement is moving into another phase. This story hit the headlines a little over a week ago in Chile, giving the students a lot of publicity. Bachelet made an offer last week, which was rejected last Friday. The main part of contention with the government's offer was that they hadn't included the free transportation in the offer. It was a pretty big offer, if one considers that two weeks ago education wasn't a front page issue.

The question will be how the student's movement can react to all of this, they gained a lot of attention through their tomas, where they could conduct non-violent protests more effectively. Now that they have moved into the streets, with all the images of masked protesters in the center of town and the damage left behind from the fighting. On top of this, there seems to be political tension within the movement as well, the movement's first spokesman, Cesar Valenzuela, resigned lastweekendd due to political pressure, as well as another spokesperson, Maria Jesus Sanhueza.

Then there other factors sure to influence future events as well. It is (or at least is supposed to) going to start raining soon, making outdoor protests, movement, marches etc, much more difficult. Secondly, these are high school students, almost all of which are dependent on their families for money and food to continue with the tomas. The tomas are also cutting into the younger students' school day as well, causing parents to find other places to drop their children off while they are at work. This is at least the case at Liceo Manuel de Salas, and has been one of the only sources of friction between the students and community members.

Lastly, coming just around the corner is the World Cup, Chile isn't in the World Cup, but Chileans love soccer, and it is sure to distract at least a few die hard fans.

2006-06-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Liceo Experimental Manuel de Salas (a high school) allowed me to enter their school to see how they are running their "toma" operation. Their student president Ariel De la Maza, and Spokesman Simon Moreno sat down for a short conversation about what they are doing and why.

Colin

A Look Inside

Student protests in Santiago have dominated headlines as well as the national attention. This has largely been due to the dynamic and efficient organization on the part of the student movement. They are displaying a talent in organization, communication discipline and social responsibility in their “tomas.”

A “toma” is a sort of an occupation of the school. The number of schools in toma has risen dramatically over the last week and a half. The students have several demands, but behind this is a general dissatisfaction with the direction of education in Chile.

“(In Chile) education is geared towards the economy, not towards the education,” Maza said.

Maza also expressed concerns about the curriculum of the schools, and wants to see an education that is not only focused on preparing the students for the PSU college entrance exam. More emphasis on subjects such as art, music, and areas that get little attention on the PSU exam.

Another important point he made was in regards to the inequality between upper class communities, such as Las Condes, which have a large amount of private funds, and communities like Bellavista de la Florida, which are mainly public schools.

The difference between the public and privates sectors, and who has access to those facilities is key in understanding the broader dimensions of this ongoing debate.

Chile is often used as a model for the success of the free trade market system. For those who have a good financial status, good facilities exist for everything from medicine to education in the private sector.

The problem is that Chile is also deeply divided by social class, and those who are left to the public sector, which is a large majority of the population, the resources available are hardly adequate.

The Schools

Each school that is participating in the tomas of the high schools, and their numbers are rising, has an organized structure to administer activities and conduct within the student body. One of these Schools is the Liceo Experimental de Manuel Salas (LMS), located in the community of Nunoa (a mid-high class neighborhood).

Organizational structure has been a key factor throughout the toma, which started on May 24, 2006 in LMS. A president and spokesperson represent the school, as well as several committees charged with maintaining a smooth operation and keeping the movement in order. Several committees assist them, one for safety, food, cleaning/hygene and art, maintaining the environment within the occupied school.

By far the busiest committee is that charged with the safety of students while they are striking. To prevent anyone from entering undetected, students stacked desks and chairs blocking gates and entrances around the school’s large perimeter.

The main entrance, which allows students to come and go, also acts as a registry for anyone wanting to enter. In general, only students are allowed inside; press, parents and teachers are left outside, though exceptions have been made for a few music groups to perform, and this blogger. Guests present their ID cars, which are kept during the duration of their stay. Incoming students are also monitored for signs of drunkenness, and their bags searched to verify that they are not bringing in any alcohol or drugs.

Music isn’t the only activity, the entire perimeter, which takes about one city block, is covered with signs and banners supporting their cause. Students working with the art committee make each banner and sign from different discarded posters acquired from a local print shop.

LMS also relies on its community neighbors for donations of food, and money to stock a basic inventory while striking. Basic foods such as spaghetti, hot dogs, and vegetables fill the small kitchen with feeds the students.

While De La Maza and the other students have slept little throughout the toma, they have sleeping quarters set up in the school gymnasium. There is also a baby soccer court set for some of the duller moments that are bound to arise while occupying a high school.

For LMS most communication is handled through the use of cellular phones, and emails. Several other schools have also adapted the use of photoblogs and Internet forums to disseminate information.

2006-06-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

Even the most energetic youth wear down a bit, students used the lull over the weekend to catch a little siesta.

2006-06-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

Some activities are part of the routine no matter what the circumstances.

2006-06-02T00:28:00.000-07:00

The culinary selection is far from gourmet, but a vital part of the logistical operation. The students rely on the generosity of the community, and of course their families to feed them.

2006-06-02T00:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend a local band came and played some music for the 30 or so students who stayed. During the previous week as many as 300 had occupied the school.

2006-06-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Each school has a formal leadership structure. Liceo Manuel de Salas (LMS) is represented by student president Ariel De la Maza (above), and spokesman Simon Moreno (below). They are supported by several committees responsible for safety, food, and artistic activities while the school is "en toma." The students have shown a high level of maturity in their communication, staying on point, with only certain individuals authorized to speak to the press.

2006-06-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

The main gates were blocked with a collection of tables, desks, and chairs, routing all in and out traffic to one main entrance where a safety committee could register visitors, verify that students entering were indeed students, and turn away anyone who had been drinking.

2006-06-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Inside "la toma"....

It is a big school, about an entire city block, the outside walls are filledwith colorful banners and posters made with stencils and spray paint.

2006-05-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

STUDENTS' DEMANDS

1. Transportation:
a) Free transportation for students
b) Valid all year, day and night

2. Student Passes:
a) Creation of a free student ID card
b)Valid nation wide
c) Valid all year, day and night

3. University Selection Test (P.S.U.):
a) Free so as not to reduce university enrollment of lower-income students

4. J.E.C. (School Day law):
a) Revision of normal school day to eliminate excess time mandated by law

5. Decree Number 524:
a) Students demand information about the status of this decree that was proposed in 2005.

6. L.O.C.E.:
a) Repeal of 1990 LOCE law
b) Government guarantee of the right to high quality, equal, and dignified education for all.

7. Food:
a) Students demand that the government must comply with its agreement to provide food to students of public or subsidized schools in the J.E.C system

8. Professional staff:
a) Students demand improved labor conditions and just salaries for professional staff as well as the formation of unions within the school system

2006-05-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS LOCE?

LOCE stands for Ley Orgánica Constitucional de Enseñanza (LOCE). It is Chile’s constitutional education law that was signed into effect on March 10, 1990; the day before Gen. Augusto Pinochet stepped down as Dictator of Chile. The law deregulated Chile’s education system based on neoliberal market policies and the theory that if schools are run like businesses they will be more efficient and able to respond to the needs of their clients (students) better.

In practice, the law created a legal framework that shifted legal emphasis from the students’ right to a good education to business peoples’ right to run schools as a profit making enterprise. Based on neoliberal theory, the two interests should work together to the mutual benefit of both groups, but in practice LOCE has led to poorly maintained schools that operate at the minimum requirements enforced by law.

LOCE also grants a government subsidy of approximately US$56 (30,000 pesos) a month for each student enrolled in a particular school but does not have a regulatory process in place to ensure that these funds reach the students. The result is private enrichment at the taxpayers’ and students’ expense.

2006-05-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

En Toma!

One look at the major newspapers, television stations, or a quick listen to the radio in the capital of Santiago, and it is hard to miss the events proceeding in the high schools. There is a growing movement demanding change to Chile's educational system. Their tactics have changed recently and brought about a swift response from the government. This is not a new trend, nor a new problem, education in Chile has been a controversial issue, as it will continue to be for the near foreseeable future.

This month we will be looking at the educational system in Chile, and what has brought about this large movement that is now regularly taking top headlines today.

2006-05-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

soitgoes