On Thursday, May 24th, I attended the weekly movie screening series at La Casa de Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. The movie of the week was about the “Penguin Revolution” – a massive rebellion of high school students that occurred in April and May of 2006 – throughout Chile. As it happened, the movie screening turned out to be prophetic. The next week, there would be a high school student uprising in Buenos Aires.The Penguin Revolution
On April 24th, 2006 it was announced that fees would be increased for the PSU (university admissions test) and that public transportation passes for high school students would be restricted. Students in Santiago, Chile (whose uniforms gave them the appearance of penguins) immediately took notice of these changes and began to mobilize students in their city. They organized marches, and on April 26th, one of the marches became violent and 47 students were arrested. On May Day, new rallies were held, and again violence broke out. This time 1,024 students were arrested in Santiago and in other cities around the nation. The unrest was spreading. But public opinion was also turning against the students.
Public opinion would begin to change after two prestigious schools took action, simultaneously calling for more long term demands which called for a complete overhaul of the laws around education with the goal of quality education for all Chileans. On May 19th these two schools were occupied by their students. They demanded that the Chilean President would concede to their demands during her traditional May 21st address to the nation. She instead condemned the student movement for provoking violence. By May 26th over 100,000 students and about 100 schools were either on strike or occupied. On May 30th the national student union called for a strike that was supported by the national teachers union and the University student union. The May 30th strike saw an estimated one million people take part. On June 1st, President Michelle Bachelete gave in to the majority of the students demands. On June 7th, she announced a national advisory committee on education that would contain 6 seats reserved for high school students. Shortly afterwards0 the students accepted and called off the occupations and strikes, having won a number of massive changes to national education policy.
In Buenos Aires Today
One year later, on May 25th, in Buenos Aires, students at the two high schools run by the University of Buenos Aires have occupied their schools. The recently chosen principal for the schools, Juan Carlos Viegas, is not someone that the students want as their principal. More important to the students, he is not someone that they have chosen. They are demanding that the principal be chosen by referendum.
In Buenos Aires Today
One year later, on May 25th, in Buenos Aires, students at the two high schools run by the University of Buenos Aires have occupied their schools. The recently chosen principal for the schools, Juan Carlos Viegas, is not someone that the students want as their principal. More important to the students, he is not someone that they have chosen. They are demanding that the principal be chosen by referendum.
After demonstrations of more than half of the student body were ignored repeatedly by the school administration, students held an assembly to consider their direction. They voted for the occupation that has now lasted nearly two weeks. However, classes have continued. The students aren’t refusing to allow the school to function; they are only refusing entrance to the newly chosen principal. Each day they keep watch at the door to stop the principal from entering. The students also have daily assemblies in which they decide the direction they will take with their movement. The students continue to offer dialogue, so long as the new principal doesn’t enter the building. For the most part that offer to dialogue has been refused by an administration that seems to be simultaneously refusing the idea of democratic educational institutions.
Democratizing Education
In the United States, the simple idea of democracy in education is a lesson that we need to learn. With students governments that either don’t exist, or simply exist to plan dances and concerts, we seem to have abandoned the idea of a legitimate student voice in the educational process. To begin organizing students (particularly high school students) to seriously challenge the overtly authoritarian ideals that our school systems uses could help to build a spirit of direct democracy. Students could simultaneously challenge both the school systems that have so miraculously failed them as well as their own lack of power in society at large. Each day I’m reminded of the students’ sense of their own power. I turn on the news and reporters are asking students what will happen at their school today. They respond: “We’ll see what the assembly decides.”
In the United States, the simple idea of democracy in education is a lesson that we need to learn. With students governments that either don’t exist, or simply exist to plan dances and concerts, we seem to have abandoned the idea of a legitimate student voice in the educational process. To begin organizing students (particularly high school students) to seriously challenge the overtly authoritarian ideals that our school systems uses could help to build a spirit of direct democracy. Students could simultaneously challenge both the school systems that have so miraculously failed them as well as their own lack of power in society at large. Each day I’m reminded of the students’ sense of their own power. I turn on the news and reporters are asking students what will happen at their school today. They respond: “We’ll see what the assembly decides.”
1 comment:
that's crazy, I can't even imagine the type of perseverance and even just the sense of SELF that these students must have. considering, in america, that even in institutions that could ideally be democratically run (i.e. universities) are attended by apathetic know-nothings, this sort of self empowerment and refusal to sit back and take it is just amazing.
Post a Comment