So the kids here in CHile are on strike. I guess this happens almost traditionally every May. All year the students ask for help or rights from the government, and every year(or so I have been told) the government does not respond positively. So they go on strike. one of the cool things about this whole process is that the different schools support each other. Like the colegios(elementry, middle, and high schools) support the university students, and vice versa. So this year the university students asked for the government to pay for transportation. This means that with a school id, the student would be able to ride the city buses for free. They also want the entrence exams for university (like the SAT's) to be free.
But before you decided where you stand on the issue. let me explain a little background... The public schools in this country are few and horrible. If you want your child to get a halfway decent education, you have to pay the big bucks. The univeristies here all cost money. They actually cost about the same as the public schools in the states, and originally I had the attitude of, "stop whining about paying for school, we have to do it too in the states". But then I realized that an average paying job here pays about 3 dollars an hour. If parents are making only 3 dollars an hour and have to pay $10,000 a year for their children's education, that leaves no food on the table for the rest of the family. So after realizing this, I too joined the many voices calling for the government to help families with the cost. At least, transportation.
So what do the protests look like? Basically all the schools, unless VERY rich, are on strike. All the kids are out of classes, and many go to the school building to stand guard. A bunch of chairs and desks are pushed against the gate and there are kids guarding the gate 24 hours a day. The other night I was walking home fairly late, around 11:30, and I saw kids sitting on the roof of their school (most of the kids sit on the roof while they guard the gate). Their parents were down in front of the school gate throwing up blankets and food in plastic bags. The parents don't seem to be upset about the strike and in general, the public support the kids. While this is the picture of the schools, out on the street the school kids are walking with signs and singing, ,all for the right of a cheaper education.
Really it is impressive. I have really been touched by the thought that just a few decades ago this country was run by a dictator who arrested and tortured anyone who spoke against him. And this protest here in Chile screams "United States" to me. I expect to see this type of strike in the US, but honestly, how many of us protested when we were 12? (mom, you are probably the only person who reads this who could answer yes) Some people might say that there is more to protest here than there is in the US (I heard that argument from a Chilean I really respect), and maybe they are right. Or maybe not.
But before you decided where you stand on the issue. let me explain a little background... The public schools in this country are few and horrible. If you want your child to get a halfway decent education, you have to pay the big bucks. The univeristies here all cost money. They actually cost about the same as the public schools in the states, and originally I had the attitude of, "stop whining about paying for school, we have to do it too in the states". But then I realized that an average paying job here pays about 3 dollars an hour. If parents are making only 3 dollars an hour and have to pay $10,000 a year for their children's education, that leaves no food on the table for the rest of the family. So after realizing this, I too joined the many voices calling for the government to help families with the cost. At least, transportation.
So what do the protests look like? Basically all the schools, unless VERY rich, are on strike. All the kids are out of classes, and many go to the school building to stand guard. A bunch of chairs and desks are pushed against the gate and there are kids guarding the gate 24 hours a day. The other night I was walking home fairly late, around 11:30, and I saw kids sitting on the roof of their school (most of the kids sit on the roof while they guard the gate). Their parents were down in front of the school gate throwing up blankets and food in plastic bags. The parents don't seem to be upset about the strike and in general, the public support the kids. While this is the picture of the schools, out on the street the school kids are walking with signs and singing, ,all for the right of a cheaper education.
Really it is impressive. I have really been touched by the thought that just a few decades ago this country was run by a dictator who arrested and tortured anyone who spoke against him. And this protest here in Chile screams "United States" to me. I expect to see this type of strike in the US, but honestly, how many of us protested when we were 12? (mom, you are probably the only person who reads this who could answer yes) Some people might say that there is more to protest here than there is in the US (I heard that argument from a Chilean I really respect), and maybe they are right. Or maybe not.
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