Pushing, shouting, stones, some running and a lot of tension. All this was what happened at the exit of the Cultural Center of Cerro, an institution that the president of the National Administration of Secondary Education (ANEP), Robert Silva, attended last night in Cerro, to have a chat with residents of the area. . There{i, he exposed the main guidelines of the education reform, to be implemented in 2023.
For that time, after 7:00 p.m., both teachers and students, in many cases members of unions that carry out claims against the educational transformation carried out by the coalition government, and also claims for the budget that was granted to the education in the Accountability Bill.
While Silva was speaking inside, struggles began at the door of the premises between those who wanted to enter by force against people who were blocking the entrance precisely so that disturbances would not occur in the cultural center facilities.
In the place, observing everything, was Santiago González, Director of Citizen Coexistence of the Ministry of the Interior. The chief, in statements to the Underlined newscast, said that he had spoken with members of the education unions, but that “there are always people who do not understand” that violence leads to nothing.
The departure of the head of the institution was one of the most tense and complicated moments of the night, as there were teachers and students shouting insults at Robert Silva, while he wanted to move towards a white Hiunday H1 model truck, accompanied by some people who They guarded it. The unit, with official registration, received kicks and a stone on the glass of the rear door, which was visible from a distance. In the midst of this whole situation were also journalists from different media, mainly television cameramen.
The word of Robert Silva
In an impromptu press conference before the media, Silva expressed that «In this democratic and republican country it cannot happen. It is totalitarian to try to prevent, as they tried many times, that this talk to talk about education with so many neighbors was carried out with permanent harassment and the songs of one and the other, “he assured. “I think that is very bad, it speaks ill of the country. This is the country we don’t want; this is the education that we do not want and we are working to change.
“We ask the people with whom we talk in different areas to make their voices heard because, ultimately, what often happens is that some make their voices felt exacerbated, preventing those who want to do anything other than their position from being heard” , he expressed.
“Here in Cerro, if you look at the educational situations of many of the young people, it is very complex. And therefore something has to be done. Or are we going to resign them to always be with the hype, with the drummer, talking about mercantilism, neoliberalism, privatization of education?, He questioned. “Uruguay, due to its history, does not deserve it,” she concluded.
A few minutes later, one of the first reactions to the incident was through the Twitter account of the Ciudadanos sector of the Colorado Party. “»In a Republican and Democratic country like Uruguay, this cannot happen» – Statements by Robert Silva, President of CODICEN, on the demonstrations and attacks they received in front of the face-to-face event on the educational transformation in the Cerro neighborhood of Montevideo”, said the publication.
