Washington, March 18: Venezuelan University students and staff members have taken to the streets once again to demand a say in the desired reforms in the higher education system.
“We are against the monopoly of power in Universities. They should act within the revolutionary framework of inclusion and social responsibility,”
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez’s government has restructured several universities across the country, in a bid to provide the opportunity for more people to receive higher education.
However, demonstrators say it is only the elite and wealthy who can afford university fees. The country’s low-income class is asking the government to make free education available.
“We want to have access to affordable higher education, with free books and free internet,” University student, Luis Solorzano said.
Some protesters argue that state university budgets are not sufficient, while others place the blame on the mishandling of grants by university authorities.
—-Agencies