In support the Venezuelan government’s stance on public education and the new Organic Education Law
While neoliberal governments around the world have been pushing an aggressive agenda to de-fund and privatise public education, the Venezuelan government has been one of the few to go against the trend, expanding access to free, public education for the poor and historically excluded majority.
Among some of the most important achievements to date have been: the successful campaign to eradicate illiteracy in the country, resulting in around 1.5 million people learning how to read and write for the first time; increasing the percentage of the budget allocated to education to 18.2% this year, double that allocated in 1998; increasing university enrolments from 668,109 students in 1998 to 1,796,507 in 2008; establishing “social missions” in the field of education such as Robinson (literacy), Robinson 2 (primary school), Ribas (secondary school) and Che Guevara (workplace skilling) missions out of which 3,412,760 had graduated, without having to pay, by 2008.
The latest step forward is the approval, after 8 years of discussion, of the new Organic Education law by the National Assembly on August 14. Among other things the law:
* Guarantees education as “a universal human right and fundamental, inalienable, non-renounceable social duty, and a public service... governed by the principles of integrality, cooperation, solidarity, attentiveness, and co-responsibility.”
* Requires “progressive annual growth” in education spending as a percentage of GDP.
* States that one of the basic purposes of education is “to develop a new political culture based on protagonist participation and the strengthening of popular power, the democratization of knowledge, and the promotion of the school as a space for the formation of citizenship and community participation.”
* Establishment of a new admissions process to guarantees “equity in admission” to universities.
* Mandates that autonomous universities must give equal vote to professors, students, administrative personnel, laborers, and graduates in elections for university authorities.
* Extends labor protections to all staff including laborers who perform tasks not usually considered to be part of the educational process, such as cleaning and cooking.
In response, the international media and sections of the opposition have attempted to use lies to discredit the new law and promote violent protests. Once again they are showing their true face, rejection a law that simply increases access to education.
The AVSN supports the Venezuelan government’s decision to continue to provide and expand its free, public education system against these lies and violent protests, and resolves to:
(i) Write an article for submission to journals and newspapers of student and education-related unions explaining Venezuela’s achievements in the field of education and the gains enshrined in the new Education Law.
(ii) Produce a statement outlining the importance of the new education law and in particular countering media lies about its content and presenting facts about the gains in education in Venezuela.
(iii) Help in organizing any future education related tours to Venezuela or tours of Venezuelan student activists in Australia.
(iv) Organise forums about the new education law on university campuses, and seek broader support for the forums from interested organisations and individuals.
(v) Write motions in support of the new law to be put by supporters to Australia trade unions in the education sector.
[A resolution adopted at the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network 2009 National Consultation, August 30, 2009.]
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