Taking back their schools

HIGH SCHOOL students in Argentina's capital city of Buenos Aires have seized 23 public high schools.

This is the first time Argentine students have participated in this kind of protest in over 40 years. They are taking their classes on the streets and are protesting against the dilapidated building conditions, including "collapse of rubble, the closing of bathrooms, and/or a lack of gas," according to the Buenos Aires Herald. Not all of the 23 schools are lacking in repairs; some of the schools that were seized were done so in solidarity.

The right-wing Propuesta Republicana-led government of Buenos Aires under Mayor Mauricio Macri had only spent 7 percent of the planned budget for fixing the high school buildings. It is unknown as of yet why only 7 percent was spent and where the rest of the money went, and the students are demanding to know the reason.

Buenos Aires' media is mostly controlled by conservatives and is therefore more sympathetic with Macri than with the students. Macri had made a resolution to identify and file a police report on the students responsible for seizing the schools, which prompted members of the teacher's union to hold a strike.

Judge Elena Liberatori ultimately deemed the resolution unconstitutional. The government is now promising a plan of action with reforms beginning in December and met with the students on August 27 to discuss their plans, but the students are demanding that repairs to begin immediately and are continuing with the strike.

More information can be found at the Buenos Aires Herald and Página 12 newspaper (in Spanish).
Nadine Brennan, from the Internet