Higher Education in Chile, Colombia and the US (2nd version)

In the north, USA, in the south, Chile, in the center, Colombia, these countries, separated each from other for thousands of kilometers, have many things in common. One of those is the power of capitalism which influences all the aspects of the society. In this case we’ll talk about higher education.

In our continent from North to South neoliberal policies are being applied by the country’s governors. Mainly, they purpose the development of the individual as an economical agent. The word “private” is their favorite one. Hence, in their words, education is not a right that the state should give for free to all its inhabitants. Rather, education is a service that we all have to pay, the most expensive as possible.

In this way, if students don’t have money to pay their undergraduate studies, they need to ask for loans that they would have to pay after they get their degree. Usually it’s hard for them to get good jobs that provide them money to pay their loans.

In Chile, the current higher educational system is a huge business. Students have to pay a fortune to study at universities. That's the reason why they and their families are getting loans; however, they pay for an education with low academic quality. Now lots of Chileans are protesting on the streets demanding to the State for free education as a right.

Also, in Colombia, students are protesting. They are against the “Ley 30”, which regulates higher education”, as well as against to the reform that the Ministry of Education wants to make it. At first this controversial reform had an article in which universities “for profit” could be created in this country, but due to the protests the president decided to take it out. Even so, there are some other points in this reform that affect public universities, especially on the money that the State has to give them. It’s necessary to say that in Colombia there are just 32 public universities, and it’s difficult to be admitted in these, so some students here apply to private universities, which are expensive. Therefore, most of the Colombians cannot access to higher education.

As an undergraduate student in Colombia, I believe we have to ask our governors to guarantee our right of free and high quality education, from primary school to the university level. In this way, people won’t have to get loans and they will be able developing the economy of their countries.