Yesterday a march organised by the Confederation of Students of Chile (CONFECH) moved around 30 thousand university students to the Ministry of Education to demand greater public education budget.
The march was supported by the rectors of the University of Santiago and the Technical Metropolitan University. They also received the membership of secondary students and academics, among others.
The march started outside the University of Santiago and moved to the Ministry of Education, in downtown Santiago.
Other similar demonstrations took place simultaneously in the Chilean cities of Talca, Valparaíso, Concepción, Temuco, La Serena, Coquimbo, Valdivia and Puerto Montt.
The demonstrations demand that the Chilean government of President Sebastián Piñera increase the funding for public education. They also reject the reforms announced by the government to the higher education system.
Camila Vallejo, president of the Students Federation of the University of Santiago, said the protest claims “to regulate the private education industry.”
The Minister of Education of Chile, Joaquín Lavín, summoned the presidents of the student associations to a meeting next week. But university representatives have rejected the proposal.
In front of the Ministry of Education in Santiago, police cracked down on a group of students who tried to reach the palace ‘La Moneda’.
Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the news agency of AMARC-ALC.
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