Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez today announced his plans to reform the education system. He has enacted a new Education law which will come into force immediately. According to the President the new law will pave the way for a “liberating education” and would break free from “colonial culture”. The law was approved in parliament on Friday and enacted by the President on Saturday.
According to Chávez, the new law will facilitate the “creation of a new woman, a new man, and a socialist society”.
The opposition has clashed with the President, denouncing that the new law seeks to “ideologise” and “indoctrinate” according to the State’s idiosyncrasy.
Pro government officials say that the new law should not be rebuked. “The whole world knows that education ideologises. We haven’t hidden that. We have said that to create the new republic we need to use a new model,” said Orlando Pérez.
Political groups, academics and private education students and their parents form the opposition. They have organised a protest march to take place on 22 August.
Despite this, Chávez called on them to “reflect”. He said that “they have gone mad” and asked them to “realise that this law will benefit everyone”, including “them”.
He added that “if the bourgeoisie screams it’s because it’s good”. According to the President the new law will open the door to “the poor, to those that are always excluded” and will give them a “proper education”.
The new law will bestow an “omnipotent” role on the State and will “exclude” those who do not agree with the government that is “defending 21st Century socialism”.
Recently Chávez proclaimed at the National Assembly that he would not allow any law to remain that contravenes the principles of socialism. The change to the Education law may only be the start.
