The 15 students participating in the Tufts−in−Chile program this fall arrived in Santiago, Chile in mid−July at one of the most monumental times in Chilean history since the return of democracy in 1990. We were welcomed by weekly protests, remnants of tear gas in the air, sounds of people banging on pots and pans each night at "carcerolazos" declaring the imminent downfall of Pinochet's education system, and messages saying "No máslucro," which means "no more profit−making," scribbled and spray−painted on surfaces across the city.
For the past four months, Chilean high school and university students have organized a series of marches with up to 150,000 participants, read−ins, kiss−ins, hunger−strikes, the take over of approximately 200 high schools and universities, days of national strikes and other creative forms of protest. All in an effort to pressure President SebastiánPiñera and the Chilean government to implement a comprehensive educational reform that would put an end to lucrative institutions of higher learning and provide greater access to affordable and quality education.
Recent reports from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development revealed that compared to other member states, Chile has the least socioeconomic−integrated education system, so essentially the richest have the means and opportunity to attend the best private or public universities while the poorest only have access to subpar academic institutions. Even though Chile has the highest per capita income in Latin America, the 15 percent of the Chilean population that live in poverty live a much different reality. Many middle−class Chilean graduates denounce the inability to even pay back their student loans after obtaining their degrees because they had no other choice but to take out loans that have a 6% interest rate. The average spent monthly on education per household is $630, making Chilean post−secondary education one of the most expensive in the world relative to monthly income.
The Tufts−in−Chile group encountered a degree of student participation and mobilization that was incomparable to any form of student involvement that we have seen in our lifetime in the United States. Students of the University of Chile have been on strike for several months (to the point that they might be unable to salvage this semester) and for a few weeks, students took over different faculties, such as the faculties of architecture and humanities. Even the "Casa Central," the administrative office building for the University of Chile, has been occupied by students and consequently become an epicenter for student meetings, actions, and fundraisers for the movement. For the first time since the return of democracy, the students of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the nation's leading private university, voted to strike for three consecutive weeks. Due to the strikes, or "huelgas," attending class became a confusing mess. Some classes would sporadically be held and, in other instances, professors decided to support the strike and postpone class.
Although the students out in the streets come from a generation that largely did not experience the dictatorship of AugustoPinochet, their demands reflect a direct confrontation with the policies of the dictatorship that continue influencing many sectors of the Chilean society. The neo−liberalization of the education system is drawn from decades of neoliberal thought, and the constitution, which the students are also asking to be revoked and recreated, was written and passed into law in 1980, in the midst of the dictatorship.
Our time spent in Chile has been transformative on many levels, but mainly because we've witnessed people our age take action in changing a failed system. The laments of our Chilean classmates are all too familiar. Every year many of us sign off to receive loans in order to pay for our Tufts education and once we've graduated, our loans will be with us for years to come. The U.S. Department of Education recently reported that student loan defaults are on the rise and more and more college graduates are facing the reality of a complete lack of jobs. What would our education system be like if more high school and university students across the United States demanded affordable, quality education? As our tuition increases annually and we continue accruing a significant debt in loans, what progress have we made as students to ensure that the youth of our nation have equal access to quality education? And if the people that run our colleges and college systems denied our demands, would we have the courage to organize with our peers and not forfeit until our demands were met, even if it meant losing out on a semester of school?
As an institution that prides itself on its active citizenship, globalism and the leadership of its student body, and extols quality teaching and research, it is imperative that Tufts students and faculty recognize the significance of the Chilean student movement. After experiencing the beautiful fury of the Chilean student movement, or as many are referring to as the "Chilean Winter," the 2011 Tufts−in−Chile group encourages you to reflect upon, re−evaluate and question your own experiences with the educational system you grew up with. For many years, many of us have failed to acknowledge the inequalities ingrained in a system that we have managed to maneuver to an extent. Although we've had access to quality education, many of our fellow Americans cannot say the same.
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Rosario G. Dominguez is a junior majoring in international relations. She is currently studying abroad in Chile.
