“Being young and not being a revolutionary is a contradiction.”
This phrase, scrawled on the wall of a classroom where I teach, is just one of the expressions of thousands of university students in Colombia as they protest the education Law 30. On March 31st and April 7th, Universidad del Atlántico was shut down for several hours as over 2,000 students blocked the entrance and the highway: rallying, chanting—even stripping—to expose the issue. This law, which would allow private investment in the public university system, could have dramatic consequences for a vast majority of UA (and other public university) students. Public education, which has very low costs, allows students from the lowest estratos (economic sectors) to have access to a bachelor’s degree, and therefore climb out of poverty. The fear is that private investment (though it would likely lead to improved programs and resources) would raise the tuition costs above what most students can afford.
Last Thursday, I arrived to the university at 6:30 a.m. to find swarms of students blocking the walkway and the entrance closed. I spent a couple hours at the bakery across the street waiting to see if things would end before my next class, but the protest only grew, police arrived, the buses began turning around half a mile down the road—and I decided I should be a responsible Fulbrighter and get away rather than watching the action.
This past Thursday, I was inside the university when the protest broke out. Since students weren’t able to enter campus, I began class with the handful who were already there. This time things got a little rowdier—papas (“potatoes”—small homemade explosives), rocks, and burning tires. Rather than leaving though that mess, I stayed on campus until everyone had left.
Relatively speaking, these demonstrations (which have been taking place at a national level) have been peaceful, although one student in the Nariño region died as a result of the protests at her university.
Unfortunately, this is far from being resolved. It’s a complicated issue, and though these protests are not my preferred way of handling it, I can’t help but seeing things from my students’ point of view. Most of my students and friends from the university are from the lowest social stratus, but they pour everything into their studies so as to improve their way of life.
You can read more about the issue here:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15456-protests-against-education-reform-erupt-across-colombia.html
