The Bolivarian Revolution and Education by Prof. X

www.vcrisis.com Universidad Central de Venezuela February 2003

The Venezuelan education system is plagued with problems that put its schoolchildren in the rear seat when compared with other countries in the region. Schools are frequently understaffed, teachers are underpaid and a docent's job is generally seen as undesirable so a significant percentage of teachers are there more out of necessity than by vocation or choice. The drop-out rate is high, test scores are disastrous, and results in terms of funds invested per graduate is a financial fiasco. Even though education is free, many children can not attend classes because economic necessities oblige them to work. These problems have been recognized by the present administration and steps have been taken to enroll more students within the school system, improve existing institutions and fund new ones. Teachers were given significant pay raises and the educational importance of internet was demonstrated by the government's creation of numerous cyber-cafes, sometimes even in the most remote towns of the countryside. Unfortunately this government's intentions towards reform and providing equal access to education has encountered numerous problems, many of which are self-generated.

Undoubtedly the first major criticism was sparked by the attempt to introduce political indoctrination into school textbooks and the infamous Act 1011 which created a new type of school inspector with broad powers to penalize schools and their directors. This was received with strong resistance by many citizens and was probably the birth of organized opposition by Venezuelan civil society to the government. Amongst the criticism it was pointed out that the sweeping powers of the proposed inspectors guaranteed new opportunities for bribes and there was precedence for suspecting such "privileged work" would be awarded to loyal party members. After much political and legal wrangling the government was defeated in the courts. Private catholic schools constitute an important portion of the educational system and cater to a variety of students, ranging from the nation's elite to the poorest of poor. They have traditionally received government subsidies, but when catholic schools became prominently involved in opposing Act 1011 the government threatened to cut subsidies. Notwithstanding government hand outs, an analysis rapidly reveals the greater cost-effectiveness of private schools when compared to the public system, both in terms of the number of graduates and test score results. The threats have since materialized and at the time of writing many educational programs in city slums and distant rural areas are threatened with closure.

At the elementary school level the government proudly announced the founding of numerous elementary level Bolivarian Schools, showcases of progressive education equipped with the latest technology and providing daily meals for students. This initiative is commendable but simultaneously raises questions such as why not reform and properly support schools already in existence? Because of budgetary limitations funding was diverted from the functioning of regular schools into the new program and this has had a negative impact on the non-Bolivarian Schools. Previously many public schools, in agreement with most parents, charged a modest sum for registration that helped in defraying the cost of materials such as paper, chalk or even janitorial goods. A Presidential decree declared this practice illegal since education should be free, but no financial support was put forth to pick up the slack and the situation has worsened for non-Bolivarian Schools.

Many schools function with two groups of students, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, but unfortunately in such cases the installation of a Bolivarian school forced the elimination of one group, given physical limitations, forcing a number of students to attend schools much further away or simply abandon their studies. The daily meals program is nothing new as previous administrations also tried to implement programs such as the "school lunch," "school uniform" or "school backpack" just to name some. They all eventually were undermined by administrative ineptness and graft, and the Bolivarian Schools are unfortunately treading the same path. One thing is the number of these institutions according to the government and another thing are those actually functioning. How many were built but never started to function? How many still serve daily meals? How many are staffed by teachers and administrative personnel that obtained their jobs through professional merits instead of being party members? What is the student desertion rate? Finally, if the Bolivarian Schools are so good as the government boasts them to be, why do most government officials, including President Chavez, send their children to private catholic schools? Another questionable educational innovation of this government has been the introduction of "pre-military training" in the school agenda to replace the previous civic studies agenda. The new course includes well-intentioned notions of national identity, values and ethics, but the textbooks include paragraphs that easily generate xenophobia and class-hatred.

The start of the school year this January was problematic due to the strike and its effects. The government has countered everything is normal and emphatically insists no child may be denied the right to education. In primary school runs by a school district headed by an opposition mayor the institutions were taken over by pro Chavez groups, and they have since been giving classes to the few children in attendance. Most of these "volunteers" have no legal teaching credentials and some parents have complained of political indoctrination. During a visit by reporters to one of these schools and an interview with a provisional teacher, a school girl was asked how she was getting along. She replied that she was extremely happy and had learned more these past weeks than during all previous months with her regular teachers. As she spoke she gradually broke down and could barely complete her sentence before running off in tears. The children of striking oil company workers have been kicked out of the schools run by the oil company, an especially grave event in remote rural areas where no other schools are available. At the university level the government owes most public universities about five months of budget quotas and expects the universities to function normally.

The deterioration of public secondary education has been paralleled by an increased proportion of university enrollment by students from private institutions. Unfortunately the propositions forwarded by many pro-government activists to address these inequities imply lowering admission and academic standards to the extent of almost no accountability on part of prospective students. Undoubtedly an easy way to achieve "equality" and lower drop out rates, but questionable in terms of providing quality higher education. Such simplistic solutions are wonderfully exemplified by a public announcement over a year ago by President Chavez when he promised the founding of a new university for the poor in Caracas, in principal a good-intentioned proposition but problematic in practice, starting with the fact that he proposed it function within the Miraflores Palace, a national historical monument. Needless to say this idea has not been mentioned since.

In terms of higher education problems are paramount and reforms are sorely needed for more efficient management of the many public universities which take the lion's share of the nation's educational budget. Unfortunately government intentions seem more geared towards political control than towards improvement in standards or administration, a trend that has become currently more obvious. Two years ago in elections for new authorities in the nation's largest university, the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), the government backed candidates were defeated. Some months later a small group of students took over the campus council office by force and stayed there for a number of weeks, all the while receiving logistical support from the central government. Their vandalism was accompanied by violence, including pipe bombs, fist-fights, gunfire, tear-gas and fireworks. They demanded, amongst other things, that the newly elected authorities be declared illegitimate and a new government be installed in the UCV. Their use of violence and ensuing disruption of academic life was totally unacceptable. The bitter taste this episode left was detrimental to the renegade's cause as in the most recent student council elections, groups representing the government party suffered resounding defeats in most UCV schools. Another institution, the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, suffered direct intervention from the government through the majority officially appointed members of its Superior Council, which then proceeded to pressure institutional decisions through financial strangulation and harassment of the lower Directive Council. In subsequent elections for posts in the Directive Council the government-backed candidates were trounced by independent candidates which are now pushing for an autonomous administrative regime that would free the institution from such Central Government intervention.

The problems overshadowing the country's school system have been long in the making and most can not be attributed to the Chavez Government. Unfortunately this administration's intentions for much needed reform in the educational system have been undermined by its preoccupation with political control, and compounded by ineptitude and graft. Such flaws are nothing new, but the intense political motivation is a novelty and of particular cause for concern given the strong centralization of government, rigid political agenda, use of violence, and Presidential authoritarianism that increasingly reeks of dictatorship. Taking this into consideration plus the support shown for pro-government groups regardless of their methods, it is clear the Venezuelan government's commitment to public education is motivated more out of political control than out of providing high quality education for all.