chile education protests defy new plan heavy rain
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Chile education protests defy new plan, heavy rain

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Chile education protests defy new plan, heavy rain

Santiago - AFP

Thousands of Chilean students marched through the rain on Thursday demanding far-reaching education reforms and dismissing the government's latest plan to resolve the weeks-old crisis. For three months the students have been taking to the streets to demand free public education and an end to for-profit schools, which are seen as fueling high prices and disparity between the rich and poor. On Thursday, they braved freezing rain in the so-called "March of the Umbrellas" down Alameda avenue in central Santiago, a demonstration attended by some 40,000 people, according to local media. "With rain, cold and even snow in some parts of Santiago, the students returned to the streets," said Camilo Ballesteros, a student protest leader. On Wednesday, the government announced a proposal -- its third since the crisis began -- to increase grants and reduce interest rates to help students finance their education. "We are putting all the meat on the grill," said Education Minister Felipe Bulnes. The latest plan would extend grants and loans to 60 percent of the most vulnerable students, up from 40 percent, and decrease the average interest rates on loans from 5.3 percent to 2.0 percent. Bulnes said the government would also present a draft amendment to parliament requiring that a quality education be guaranteed in the constitution. Ballesteros said the government had made some progress, but had fallen short of the protestors' demand for deeper, structural changes. There were no reports of violence on Thursday, but past protests have seen youth clash with police. Nearly 1,900 protestors have been arrested and some 260 police and 36 civilians have been wounded since the protests began. The demonstrations pose a major challenge for President Sebastian Pinera, Chile's first right-wing leader since the dictator Augusto Pinochet, whose military government created the current education system in the 1970s. Pinera has seen his popularity sink to an all-time low of 26 percent as he has rebuffed the students' demand for free public education. "We all want education, healthcare, and many more things for free, but I want to remind them that nothing is free in this life. Someone has to pay," Pinera said last week.

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

chile education protests defy new plan heavy rain chile education protests defy new plan heavy rain

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

chile education protests defy new plan heavy rain chile education protests defy new plan heavy rain

 



GMT 05:03 2017 Saturday ,21 October

EMPC denies transfer to new administrative capital

GMT 10:50 2014 Friday ,07 November

UAE Fables and Folklore

GMT 12:10 2017 Tuesday ,07 March

Poachers kill rare giant elephant in Kenya

GMT 00:31 2016 Thursday ,08 December

Kuwaiti-European group considers investing $1bn

GMT 12:31 2017 Thursday ,06 April

At 73, Barry Manilow comes out of closet

GMT 18:34 2017 Friday ,10 February

Malabar Gold to open 11th Saudi showroom in Jubail

GMT 16:18 2017 Monday ,02 October

Saudi university to open driving school for women

GMT 16:20 2017 Wednesday ,18 October

French parliament adopts tough anti-terror bill

GMT 02:18 2017 Tuesday ,03 October

Egypt's Sisi says spoke to Donald Trump by telephone
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday