44 Chilean High School Students Detained

SANTIAGO, Chile – Police briefly detained 44 high school students who seized their school Monday in renewed protests over what they see as the government’s slow progress toward reforming Chile’s education laws.

Education Minister Yasna Provoste urged the students to end their protest and focus on year-end tests. The school in Santiago is one of many students have repeatedly seized in the last week.

Earlier this year, President Michelle Bachelet’s government was hit by violent student protests, prompting her to allocate $200 million for the repair of deteriorated school buildings and improved meals for poor students.

The government also agreed to give credentials to students granting them low fares on public transportation at all times.

Bachelet also appointed a 72-member panel to study reforms to Chile’s education law – issued during the 1973-90 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet – but students complain the panel’s progress has been too slow.

The unpopular education law made municipalities responsible for education, leading to a wide gap in educational quality between rich and poor areas.

Students leaders have called for a nationwide strike on Wednesday, but it is likely the movement will not be as large as those earlier this year, with as many as 700,000 protesters, because students have expressed fears that it could endanger their school year.