Teachers strike across the country for better public education

Teachers led a national strike and mass protests in major cities across the country Wednesday to challenge the government’s planned education reform and call for better working conditions.

Organizers the Teachers’ Union said 150,000 educators took part in strike action and demonstrations nationwide with at least 50,000 protesting in the capital alone  — though Carabineros, Chile’s uniformed police, said attendance of the protest proper was closer to 10,000 in the capital.

Beginning at Plaza Italia then heading west down the main thoroughfare Alameda, the Santiago protest passed largely without incident and was hailed a success by union president Jaime Gajardo who claimed the turnout demonstrated public support for the union’s position.

“The great majority of the country supports us and supports our call for profound changes in our education system,” he said, adding that President Michelle Bachelet’s reforms endanger public education and were drafted without sufficient input from teachers, students and other external groups.

“The government must announce whether municipal school will be returned under the control of the central government and end uncertainty,” Gajardo added. “The essential thing is to change the financial model of the education system because this is what is harming the poorest and ultimately devastating public education.”