Chilean teachers declare indefinite protests over education reforms

On Monday, teachers and education students rallied and marched down the streets of Santiago, Chile, and other major cities. The Teachers’ College, the country’s largest teachers union, called an “indefinite strike” on Sunday and reported 60,000 teachers protested in Santiago the next day.

The educators want better working conditions and changes to a recent government education proposal. Carolina Pastene from Santiago says three main points of conflict are driving the protests: the teacher certification process, salary, and the schools where new teachers will work.

Pastene thinks the protests are unnecessary and ineffective. “The government invited teachers to make the new law for the career of public school teachers. Many participated in that. And now the Teachers’ College asks for this protest because their requirements weren’t taken 100 percent.”

Teachers and their supporters are using the hashtags #SinProfesoresNoHayReforma (No Reform Without Teachers) and #YoApoyoALosProfes (I Support The Teachers). The union president will decide the movement’s future on Friday.

In addition to supporting the teachers’ protest movement, Chilean university students are waging their own battle for education reform. In February, President Michelle Bachelet proposed a bill providing free university education for 60 percent of low-income students in 2016, but students don’t think the bill goes far enough. John Griffiths, a student at the Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, said they want free quality education with equal access for everyone.