The Chilean Students’ Confederation (CONFECH) has annouced that there will be demonstration on Wednesday 28 November, in solidarity with the students of Universidad del Mar, who might loose their education, if the ministry of education removes official recognition of their university.

Afterwards, the students plan to deliver a letter directly to the government. The letter is addressed to Chilean president Sebastián Piñera, and asks for the creation of a representative body to fight for their demands.

Besides the letter, protesters will deliver the results of the national survey that indicates that a high percentage of students work in the evenings to pay their institutions’ fees. The research was carried out by Guillermo Arias, general secretary of the Students’ Federation in Universidad del Mar.

On 29 October the Chilean ministry of education requested a cancellation of the legal and official recognition of Universidad del Mar. The request was caused by complaints about its accreditation process, non-payment of salaries and resignation of the university president Raul Urrutia.

Followed by that announcement, Urrutia and students of Universidad del Mar mobilised for a movement to prevent university closure.

tory courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the AMARC-ALC news agency.

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.