Deputies of the Education Commission request a special session in the Chamber for acts of student violence: they request the presence of Minister Ávila

This Wednesday morning members of the Education Commission of the Chamber of Deputies – Alejandra Placencia, Daniela Serrano (both from the PC) and Luis Malla (PL) led by their president, John Santana (PS)– convened a special session for “the violence that has been glimpsed in recent weeks in school buildings in the country”.

“We have come to announce the request for a special session of the Chamber of Deputiesto address the problems of violence and school coexistence that are experienced within the educational establishments of our country”, said Santana.

Along these lines, he assured that it is in the interest of the commission to know What measures will the Ministry of Education take to deal with this situation? “That today is the concern of mayors, mayors and educational communities who see how this wave of violence has been accentuating.”

In addition, he indicated that they will invite the minister of the portfolio, Marco Antonio Ávilaand they would also quote the Undersecretary of Education, Nicolás Cataldo Astorga, and the Ombudsman for Children, Patricia Muñoz García.

The deputy of Communist Party, Alejandra Placenciamaintained that they have talked with different actors from the school communities, “and one of the things that is clear to us is that the return to classes meant exacerbating a crisis in public education, since the corresponding measures were not taken in the previous government to foresee situations that today trigger conflicts”.

“Strengthen school communities to give them a leading role in decision-making and at the same time meet the legitimate demands of students, workers and education workers, parents, “he added.

Since the 2022 school year began, 12 of 18 emblematic high schools in both Santiago and Providencia have had to suspend their classes due to protests, occupations or stoppages.

Without going any further, at the beginning of last week -Monday, April 25- and after almost 2 years of the pandemic, the so-called “white overalls” reappeared, people dressed in white suits who carry out violent acts. On that occasion, students of the National Institute they caused traffic diversions, barricades and, after the arrival of police personnel, threw incendiary devices.

On Wednesday, April 27, meanwhile, outside the Barros Borgoño Lyceum Unidentified people burned a public transport bus. And, on Monday of this week, there were also barricades, attacks on police personnel with Molotov cocktails, in addition to the intention to burn two buses.

In addition to the mobilizations that have been reported at the National Institute and the Barros Borgoño Lyceum, the Ministry of Education is looking with special concern at the shots of the Barros Arana National Boarding School, the Application School, School 7 and the Lastarria Schooland affirm that they are permanently monitoring the situation of the mobilized educational establishments.

On Friday of last week, the minister of the portfolio, Marco Antonio Ávila, announced that the government will invest 10 billion pesos in school infrastructure and 11 billion pesos in the Skills for Life Program, one of the demands of the students together with the improvement of the food provided by Junaeb and the teacher’s absence.