To go to class, or not to. That is the question..
One of the most identifying features of Chilean education is the ease with which Chilean students decide they don’t want to go to class. For a North American, especially for a US Citizen, to be studying in Chile, the education system seems frighteningly cheap. It is less than half of what I pay at Appalachian State, and ASU is one of the cheapest on the east coast! The problem is that for Chileans, this is actually a very expensive part of their lives.
A rough estimate of the annual tuition is between $2,000-$6,000 US a year, depending on the major. Obviously longer science based careers are going to cost in the upper range, while a B.A. or music degree will be in the lower end. However, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, where I am studying and for whom these figures are correct, is one of the most expensive in Chile! Really puts it into perspective, huh?
With prices like this, Chileans feel as though they are paying way too much for education, leading to annual and multi-month strikes on classes. These are called being “en paro” which literally means “at a stop” and the student alliance decides as a whole to boycott classes until an agreement is reached. This can take months, and is somewhat frustrating for someone coming from another country because, without the students, it is really hard to hold classes.
“Our right to boycott” (loosely translated)
“PUCV’s rights: 5 years of studying $16,875,000 pesos = 107 minimum wage paychecks”
Now the easiest way to describe the motive for this years strike on classes and on the education system is to explain the government funding. Similar to the US, the Chilean government awards “scholarships” to people who can’t afford college. Again, similar to the US, your family must meet or be under an exact amount of earnings per year. However, the law in Chile now states that if, at the end of the fiscal year, your paycheck is even 1 peso over the allowed maximum, you lose your funding.
While this sounds harsh and cruel, think about the US system. We have to be living in severe poverty to be able to get sufficient funding from the government. As a middle class family with my sister and I both in college, I have been feeling the strains of paying since I began 4 years ago. I hold three jobs, attend class full time, and try my hardest to get out in a reasonable amount of time with my degree so as not to pay extra. I also want to go to grad school, the price of which actually makes Chileans cringe when I tell them..
That being said, the Chilean students don’t fully grasp the extent of what they are doing. In Chilean culture, when a change is wanted or needed, the very first thing you do is protest. That is how it has always been, and I don’t foresee that changing any time soon. So, naturally, the paro was started back in April and went on-and-off until it took full effect midway through May. The unseen effects of these paros can be seen in the work ethic of the majority of the Chilean students: they just don’t want to do the work! While this is a generalization and someone reading this somewhere in the world will undoubtedly get offended by it, it is a very true generalization to make.
If you are offended, think of any group project you have ever done with Chileans: 99% of the time, you are stuck doing the whole project at the very last minute because no one wants to get ahead of the game. Every group project I had here in Chile was exactly the same. I would try to get my part done, but would end up stuck until the night before when the rest of the group would decide to work on it. I know this happens a lot in the US, but it’s actually a well-known fact here in Chile that this is how the student’s operate. My host family even told me to be wary of group projects with “flojo” (lazy) Chileans…
In general, however, this laziness spawns from a desire to have everything, but without the will to work for it. Something that I think a lot of Americans need to reexamine in their lives as well. I don’t believe in handouts and it is construed as being a bit uppity when I want to get projects here done before the due date! Because of all of this, and as a foreign student with majority classes with Chileans and no classes with PIIE (Exchange Student Office), I was forced to look more closely at this year’s paro.
They even have signs in english throughout the campus buildings.
“We will fight until dignity becomes a habit”
My classes were in the following departments: Literature/Castellano, Pedagogy (Folkloric Dance), and History. All three of these departments were included in the Paro, which actually spanned over 30 different majors. The students are upset at the changes in funding, and want to be able to afford university, but have taken a very drastic and ineffective route to attain this.
My host sister told me that this happens every year, and her university was a month late for starting classes because of a separate paro within her university. For the PUCV students, the thing that makes the most sense is to stop going to classes, march on the school and “toma” (takeover”). Now for any of you reading this that are concerned about those last two points, don’t worry! 99% of violent protests and newsworthy takeovers in Chile happen in Santiago, not Valparaíso. Our student protests tend to be much more peaceful, with students simply marching with signs or holding public meetings.
Taken from the PUCV Toma 2013 page. Some students are holding a sign over Avenida Brasil at Casa Central that says “PUCV’s organized right for justice and equality. Thinking and fighting for a quality education.”
Taken from the PUCV Toma 2013 Facebook page. This was a public meeting in Valparaíso this year
The hardest thing for an outsider to understand about the paro is the logic. The students are essentially losing an entire semester’s worth of work and classes, and are going to have to pay again for the next year. Where it is common in the US to finish undergrad in 4 or 5 years, there are thousands of people well into their 30’s in Chile that are still working toward their undergraduate degree. The professors and older generations also seem to be in agreement with me that this is a very inefficient method for change and will only cause problems in the future education of these students.
During the paro, the students completely boycott the schoolwork. For an exchange student, I still had a deadline to get my final grades in. The end of June is the end of scheduled classes, and therefore is the date by which I need to have completed my studies. However, it is quite common for the students here to continue classes well into the winter break if that is when the Paro comes to a close.
The professors still have to come to office hours, still try to hold class and accept assignments, although it the most common theme is that the professors end up alone in their offices during the days that classes are being boycotted.
“It’s time we stop the talking. Mobilize!”
“We’re tired of shouting. It’s time to talk”
“Listen, look, shout, participate”
So what does that mean for me? Two of my classes were listed as being “for exchange students” and those were held as scheduled. In one of my classes, there were five of us gringos, and the professor held special sessions for us to complete the coursework. In two of my classes, I was the only gringa. For those the professors worked with me individually to complete the coursework and meet deadlines. In my other class, I was one of two gringas and the professor decided to complete that coursework via email and online. All in all in worked out well for me, giving me more time to do the work and being able to complete the coursework by the deadline.
Of course, as with all social media linked events, the 2013 PUCV paro page has become riddled with memes and photos. It is also used as a way for the student association to communicate with the rest of the student body about what is going on. Some of these can be somewhat funny:
“In my times, education was free!”
And some can be just downright distasteful:
“Hi, I’m the provost and you’re reading this in my voice. Ah, that’s right, I’ve never talked with you”
All in all, this has been a very interesting turn of events during my semester abroad here in Chile, and I think it adds a new cultural note to my experiences. I have to admit that it’s been nice not having to go to class, although the workload during finals here was still pretty insane!
Looking back at the coursework during the semester, the classes were easy compared to US classes. I’m not sure if that was because I am used to taking a majority of science courses, or because the education system in the US is just a bit more competitive, but the courses themselves were easy! The finals were only difficult because of the amount to complete in a short amount of time. It would have been much easier had the assignments (two of them were 12+ page research papers and one was a 14+ page presentation) been in English!
You can read more about the toma on their Facebook page (yes, they have their own Facebook page) and it’s frequently updated…. Like I said, this is an annual thing!
Chao!
Gringa en Chile 