Marches and Indefinite Strikes Lead the Fight for Colombian Education
Professors, teachers, and students from Colombian public universities and high schools throughout the country marched in support of increased budgets and resources for schools on October 23. The marches were instigated by the proposition of Bill 057, which would decrease the funds provided to schools, particularly in rural areas. The marches were peaceful and followed almost two weeks of indefinite student, teacher, and professor strikes in October.
Indefinite strikes in public universities were announced and encouraged on October 11 by the Colombian Students Movement. According to a statement released by the group, they hope to establish autonomous and democratic education as a human right. The budget of public universities in Colombia has not risen since 1992, causing a severe lack of resources to pay staff and improve infrastructure.
On October 17, the Colombian Federation of Education Workers (Fecode) announced that its members would join the strike to defend public education and request an increase to the budget and resources. Nelson Alarcón, the president of Fecode, stated that Bill 057 would, “affect labor rights, pensions, and services to which teachers are entitled.” Soon after Fecode’s decision to strike, the bill was withdrawn from consideration in Colombia’s Congress.
In addition to Bill 057, the teacher protests stem from the Colombian government’s failure to fulfill promises made in June 2017 following a 37-day strike. According to Fecode, only eight of the measures agreed upon then have been implemented. Among the terms, improvements in health benefits and services, increases in the education budget, and the elimination of pay gaps remain unaddressed.
Educational strikes and protests are not a new trend in Colombia. They occur relatively often, and the Time discussed the effectiveness and efficiency of these strikes with experts at the beginning of October. Adry Manrique, a professor in the faculty of education at Externado University of Colombia in Bogotá argued that strikes have been used traditionally as a way to stimulate dialogue with the national Department of Education.
Adolfo Atehortura, professor and former-director of the National University of Pedagogy, decided to end his nine-day hunger strike after the Ministry of National Education opened the door to dialogue. He said, “We have to push for dialogue but on top of everything, we need to put aside the differences and work for unity. The university movement and public higher education deserve this.”
The marches around Colombia on October 23 were a manifestation of the recent frustrations of professors, high school teachers, students, and their families at the Colombian educational system. While the marches have ended, various universities have decided to continue the strike, including the teachers union in the municipality of Valledupar.