Organized protests have helped Chilean college students garner international attention and bring the country one step closer to education reform, Mauricio Paredes told students gathered in Eggers Hall Tuesday.

Paredes, director of Syracuse University’s study abroad program in Chile, explained that the student movement for reform of the Chilean educational system was at its strongest in 2011, and has become an incredible force.

Paredes said he believes it’s very beneficial for SU students studying abroad in Chile to see how Chilean students organize and become part of the nation’s conscience. This is something Paredes said he does not think he has seen from U.S. students since the days of the Vietnam War.

Some of the key issues surrounding the student movement that Paredes highlighted in his talk include the high cost of tuition, high interest rates on student loans and corruption amid various university officials.

“The motive for (the students) is the system. The system is killing us, and it’s killing everybody,” Paredes said.

In addition to demands for reform at the university level, Paredes also noted the push for reform amid Chilean high school students, who are also demanding a better quality of education.

Amanda Quinn, a junior anthropology and Spanish major, said she thought that compared to American students, Chileans are much more vocal about social issues, particularly education, something she thinks could be attributed to cultural differences.

“They have this sense of unity and working to a larger goal. I feel like students in America really don’t have anything to bind them together like that,” said Quinn, who studied abroad in Chile last semester. “I think that the biggest difference is the fight for a common cause they have.”

One key difference between Chilean and American higher education systems is that in Chile, public universities are considered more prestigious than private ones, which are newer to the country, Paredes said.

Admissions to Chilean public universities are extremely competitive and often only accessible to richer students, Paredes explained. As a result, poorer students are often forced to take out loans with five to seven percent interest rates in order to attend private universities, which are not highly regarded in terms of education and more expensive, he said.

In order to get the attention of government officials, Chilean students have come together, organizing strikes, taking to the streets for marches and protests, coordinating viral videos and staging flash mobs to attract support for their cause, Paredes said.

He noted the student protests have achieved several important results including negotiations with government officials for reform laws, tuition freezes by some universities for 2013 and an increase in the number of students eligible for scholarships.

Judicial investigations into higher education corruption have begun, and several former Chilean university chancellors who were found guilty of illegally profiting off of universities have been imprisoned, Paredes said.

Tori Brewster, a senior architecture major, said she found the lecture interesting and thought it was an important topic for SU students because of the number of students who study abroad in Chile.

“Students can have the potential to make a difference,” Brewster said.

Emily Dunckle, a senior policy studies major who studied abroad in Chile last semester, said she admired the way Chilean students have organized to achieve the changes they want in the education system.

Said Dunckle: “Whether or not you agree with what they’re trying to do, their passion and energy to try and make something right is admirable, and we can learn from that.”

Published on January 22, 2013 at 10:56 pm

Contact Michelle: mlsczpan@syr.edu