Global Student Protests Continue

Over the past year, students have been protesting throughout the world against cuts to public education and privatization schemes. Here’s a roundup for September, from the International Student Movement website:

• Greek students have occupied more than 224 facilities since September 1^st. They also occupied the state television network this week and succeeded in getting a public statement read over the air. They have been protesting increasing tuition and attacks on their student organizations.
• In Chile, students have been demonstrating in the streets for months against the privatization of the education system and increased student fees.
• On September 6, student protesters confronted Cabinet Ministers in Galway, Ireland, over the closure of Roscommon hospital’s emergency department and increasing tuition.
• 100 students occupied a grammar school overnight in Bremen, Germany, this month to protest budget cuts.
• Students and teachers in Colombia went on strike this month over a new law that increases the privatization of the universities.
• In Kenya teachers blocked the Nairobi-Naivasha highway to demand that they be hired as permanent employees rather than contract workers.
• Students and staff went on strike at the American University of Cairo to protest increasing tuition and to demand higher wages for university employees.
• Thousands of people protested in front of the parliament in Rome against a new austerity package that includes education cuts.
• Hundreds of students protested at the University of the Philippines, in Diliman, against education cuts, while 8,000 students, faculty and employees at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Sta.Mesa marched against education cuts.
• Students at Dhaka University in Bangladesh demonstrated against a newly introduced fine for students who don't attend class often enough. At least ten students at Rajshahi University (RU) were injured as members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) allegedly attacked them while staging a sit-in in protest of fee hikes.
• Students occupied the George Square Lecture Theatre of Edinburgh University, Scotland, over the £36,000 in tuition fees charged to British students coming from outside Scotland.
• Tens of thousands of students and teachers marched throughout Spain against cuts to public education and attacks on teachers’ pay and benefits.
• Ongoing protests have been occurring at numerous campuses of the University of California and the Cal State University systems against tuition hikes and cuts in services.

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