250,000 March For Affordable Education In Chile

On April 11th, 250,000 Chilean students came out to protest the tremendous cost of higher education that is burdening common citizens. Protests have been going on for over 2 years, yet the situation remains largely the same; higher education has been privatized and costs have skyrocketed, leaving higher education beyond the reach of the common family. From workers.org:

Chile’s higher education financial burden on the backs of students’ families is one the most oppressive of nearly any nation surveyed by the multinational Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. While families in Scandinavian families pay less than 5 percent of higher education costs and U.S. families pay more than 40 percent, Chilean households must pay more than 75 percent from their own pockets.

It is not surprising that the American media does not cover such a large, dynamic, and organized approach to social justice, since those same types of multinational corporations are causing a similar trend in the States. It is up to the social media to make sure that news from around the world is disseminated in a way that will lead to world solidarity across national boundaries. As the conditions of each nation begin to mirror the other, change will only be accomplished by a decentralized approach to news and social organization.

How long until inflation makes American families pay 75% out-of-pocket as well? SJS has been publicizing the Student Loan Fairness Act, which is an attempt by Congress to address this very issue. You can find the Student Loan Act Petition here, and we urge you to read the article and support Chilean Education reform as well.

Written by Matthew Cohen
SJS Staff Writer