This arpillera depicts the actions of the mass student movement in Chile, which in May of 2011 initiated a series of mass marches and creative actions spanning 7 months demanding free education as well as reform of the neoliberal policies first implemented by the Pinochet regime, and worsened by the rightwing government of Sebastiàn Piñera (2010 - 2014; 2018 - 2022).
Chile's free market model of education can be traced back to policies introduced in the 1980s and have now evolved into what has been described as 'educational apartheid' (BBC News, 2011). The education system is primarily made up of private universities with some public universities. Public institutions are highly selective, providing a rigorous education bolstered by state funding and partnerships; their students tend to come from wealthy families and have been educated in Chile's elite secondary schools which only the wealthiest attend. By contrast, private universities are generally regarded as providing a lower quality of education, with little oversight from the state and little public funding. They were presented as a means for lower and middle income students to receive university educations that they were previously denied, yet higher rates of interest on student loans for private institutions leave these graduates saddled with more debt and fewer opportunities.
Students organised and developed diverse protest strategies with the aim of capturing national and international attention. Here we can see a variety of protest actions, some more traditional such as marching with banners, and what may be leaflets strewn across the ground, others more experimental and unorthodox such as elaborate flash mob routines and graffitiing the text 'POR UNA EDUCACION GRATIS' (English: 'for a free education').
Their demands were centred around the right to an education: free university education, higher regulation of universities, nationalising of the private universities and initiatives to enrol more indigenous and low income students in public institutions.
The fire in the centre left alludes to the civil unrest which erupted when protesters and police clashed during peaceful protest marches. In response to water cannons, tear gas and arrests, the students lit bonfires and vandalised property. Despite the disruption and extreme tactics, the public still broadly supported the movement. Spokeswoman for the movement at the time - Camilla Vallejo - denounced the state's response, saying 'The right to congregate has been violated.' (The Guardian, 2011).
Over time, this focused movement used collective action to set of concrete demands and developed strong links with teachers' and other workers' unions and left leaning political parties. They garnered widespread public support, both in Chile and abroad, which put national and international pressure on Piñera's government to implement changes. While the students' demands were not fully met, their actions and organising opened dialogue about education, and had further lasting impacts.
Student leader Camila Vallejos, who led the movement, became Minister General Secretariat of Government in March 2022. Other prominent figures in the movement who have since entered political careers are Current President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, and Giorgio Jackson, who served as Boric's Minister of Social Development from September 2022 to August 2023.
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