Caribbean youth battle for the future of public education http://alainet.org/active/38307&lang=es

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR), one of the largest universities in the Caribbean with close to 65,000 students across its 11campuses, has been paralyzed since April 21 due to a student strike. What began as a 48-hour stoppage became an indefinite strike, ratified by a majority vote at an assembly attended by thousands of students last Thursday.

The broader context for the student strike action is the increasing move towards privatization of public services that has characterized the island’s government in recent years. The changes proposed at the university are part of the government’s wider Fiscal and Economic Recovery Plan which has sought to reduce public expenditures by more than US$2 billion through massive layoffs and the gutting of government services and institutions. Puerto Rican citizens have been protesting these measures consistently.