The 2011 Chilean student movement against neoliberal educational policies

Abstract

This paper analyses the 2011 Chilean student movement, the most relevant social mobilisation in Chile since the restoration of democracy in 1990. Based on available material and secondary sources, it describes the main features of this student movement, analyses the key components of the students' discourse and its relationship with the Chilean market-oriented educational system, and identifies its impact on the field of higher education. The paper argues that this student movement was a process of expressing accumulated grievances against some neoliberal features of Chilean education. Since this movement is also linked to the emergence of a new generation of higher education students, it identifies relevant characteristics of current students' organisations and protests. Finally, the paper discusses hypotheses for interpreting the recent student movements. This case is informative not only for those concerned with student participation, but also with the potential downsides of market-oriented educational policies.

Keywords:

• student movement
• higher education
• market-oriented education
• new media
• educational policy

Acknowledgements

Cristián Bellei thanks the support of CONICYT-PIA project CIE-05.

Notes

1 This credit was granted with 6% interest and paid at a fixed fee after graduation with no termination period; in contrast, the state loans to students attending traditional universities have a 2% interest rate, their fees are contingent on income and they are forgiven after 12 years. This state guarantee credit increased the already high debts of Chilean families and was one of the central concerns of the 2011 student movement.

2 Since 1999 a National Commission for Undergraduate Accreditation operated as an adviser unit for the Ministry of Education; the new system institutionalised and expanded this experience.

3 ‘Performative protests’ are manifestations in the public space with a highly artistic component. For example, thousands of students danced a ‘Thriller for Education’ in front of the government palace; as in Michael Jackson's song with a similar name, they wore zombie costumes, representing their death because of their educational debts.