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THE RISE OF THE PENGUINS Chile: A strong and united student movement forces the government to substantial changes in higher education    | Natalie Nicora (LONDON). Since the end of April 2006, thousands of Chilean high school students have staged a protest to force the government to respond to their request for reforms in the educational system of their country.    The revolt of the “pinguinos” (penguins — in reference to the students’ uniforms) was the largest student demonstration in the country for the past three decades. The last big protest had occurred in 1972 when a number of student groups challenged then-President Salvador Allende over his socialist policies. The following years saw any dissent in the country crashed by Pinochet’s dictatorship. Today’s requests focused on a reform of the Organic Constitutional Law which came into force in 1990. Students and teachers alike have criticised the law for giving true responsibility for education to public and private corporations, reducing the state’s participation and minimising participation of students’ parents, teachers and non-academic employees.    Revolts began in mid-April 2006 when a new increase of university fees and an alleged introduction of the restriction on students’ travelling was announced. Students took over several schools in Santiago and organised demonstrations in the main street, the result of which was the arrest of 47 of them. The strike spread nationwide with numerous pupils staying in school but refusing to attend lessons. Hundreds of schools across the country were closed as some 500,000 pupils staged the strike, pressing for education reforms.    A rally held in Santiago on 31st May started peacefully, with thousands of students marching and dancing in the streets of the capital. But later some of the demonstrators clashed with police, who used water cannons and fired tear gas to scatter them. More than 700 pupils were arrested and 14 people were injured. The students however continued the demonstrations and received political support from deputies of the governing coalition, the College of Teachers and other institutions, forcing, basically, the Minister of Education Martín Zilic, to call for a round of negotiation. The student speaker Juan Carlos Herrera    During the national strike on May 30 several acts of violence were carried out. The press showed images of policemen arresting students and bystanders inside buses and private houses, and even press members being attacked by the police’s special forces. Fighting extended throughout the night, with 725 people arrested and 26 injured. The actions of the police were strongly repelled by the public. Some of the strongest reactions came from the press and the President Mrs Bachelet herself, who finally on 1st June addressed the nation by radio and television to announce new non-negotiable measures on education.    The proposed changes will cover a restructuring of the Ministry of Education, the establishing of a Presidential Advisory Council on Education and other measures on the administrative level to reform education policy and pedagogical practices, improve the general quality of education and school equipment and enhance equality and social integration. Also, students’ and public representation will be enlarged. A number of measures deal with welfare services and the fight against social marginalisation.    The strike effectively ended on 9th June. Student leader Juan Carlos Herrera declared he was satisfied with concessions won from the government over weeks of protest — including extra funding for education. The committee dealing with the reforms now has a few months to complete its work. Students threat that they will strike again if the agreement does not happen. Like in France some months ago, Chile now has a strong students’ union which is supported by the population. This, combined with a presidency ready to hear what the population has to say, can create a situation in which changes that meet the population’s needs are possible.    Let’s remember that students often are the force of change, that they are the ones who push for changes and feel the need for reforms. They are also the ones who take risks, who are arrested, beaten and sometimes killed. But when a students’ movement has the support of local workers and of the population, its fight has a chance to succeed. | The author is the Programme Officer of NEAR, Network for Education and Academic Rights