Bianca Borges – OCLAE
Within the framework of the “Latin American and Caribbean Campaign for the Democratization of Higher Education and Knowledge: Higher Education is Not a Commodity”, which is sponsored by numerous educational institutions for whom higher education is a social public good, a universal human right and a responsibility of states, Bianca Borges, from the Latin American and Caribbean Continental Organization of Students (OCLAE) , was interviewed.
The regional campaign, which is taking place on the road to the World Conference on Higher Education (WHEC2022) to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from May 18 to 20 and organized by UNESCO, was launched with the purpose of defending public higher education as a right and heritage of our peoples.
What are your thoughts as a student organization about the opportunities that the World Conference on Higher Education may offer or what might happen?
At OCLAE, we are genuinely concerned about participation in the Conference. What we have seen so far, since last year when we began mobilizing for the conference, is that the conference's organization has not made any effort to guarantee the democratic participation of grassroots organizations around the world, much less those from Latin America. Therefore, together with ENLACES, with whom we collaborate, and with workers' organizations, university rectors, and professors, we are concerned that a forum that will define the direction of education and the challenges of the coming years will have a strong presence of private sectors and financial capital, which is inconsistent with our view of what public, free, and quality education should be. Our expectation, then, is at least to offer a counterpoint and express our opinion that education in Latin America cannot undergo a process of increasing privatization, that it must be inclusive, and that it must strive for the liberation of students. I think our main expectation is to be able to talk about our experience as a student movement and what we want for education: that it be universal, that it align with the challenges and needs of our society, especially now that it has proven so important in combating the pandemic, in developing research, and in producing vaccines. In short, what matters to us is guaranteeing access to education for all students and also ensuring that education is connected to the challenges facing society.
What obstacles are you identifying regarding access to and retention in studies at the Latin American level? What impact do privatization processes have?
OCLAE is organized through national student federations and some other organizations that, while not national, are relevant in their respective countries. We have a campaign called “Education is Not a Commodity,” which has been running for over 20 years, and through it we try to propose new pathways to university access, considering Indigenous populations and other excluded groups. In Latin America, there is a great disparity because some countries have higher education that is mostly public and accessible to the population, while others face exclusion. We work at the continental level with the campaign, but also at the national level. There is intense action by student federations with governments and university presidents, not only at the institutional level but also through demonstrations in the streets and at universities, to ensure that education and student retention are guaranteed. This situation has worsened with the pandemic. Many students did not return to schools or universities because, with the economic crisis, they had no alternative but to work to help their families. This has happened a lot in Brazil: almost 30% of young people didn't return to universities after the pandemic, and in secondary education, that figure reaches 50%. The problem in Brazil is that most people attend private higher education institutions, so if they lost their jobs or had their salaries reduced due to the pandemic, they are also in debt. Those who study at public universities face difficulties staying enrolled because policies haven't been implemented to ensure that people have the money to support themselves at public universities, which are free but require expenses for room, board, and transportation. At the national level, student federations work daily to address this lack of access and retention.
How should public systems respond to this need for access?
This is an area where we have a long way to go. We consider inclusion and gender equity in education and institutional representation in universities to be absolute priorities. But the truth is, in most places we are still far behind. There are no strong policies to guarantee the inclusion of women or racial groups. In Brazil, we do have an important policy of reserved places, which currently guarantees that 50% of the places in public university programs are filled by people who come from public schools and also by those who identify as Black. It is an attempt to reverse the elitism we see in public higher education in Brazil. But there is still much progress to be made, not only in Brazil but in other countries as well. When we talk about women, we don't see effective policies being adopted. Another situation we face is that women who manage to enter higher education still have to endure gender-based violence and sexual harassment. Processes of exclusion, violence, and gender discrimination continue to occur.
What is the student movement proposing at a continental level to leave behind these sexist practices in the university?
At OCLAE, we always strive to value female leadership, which is now the majority in student federations. It's clear that progress has been made in spaces of political representation. There needs to be greater awareness among the men who work with us in student organizing, but I think we're more advanced in that area. What's needed is institutional progress within universities. It's important that we consider the issue of young women with children, who often have to drop out of university or don't receive the support they need. The inclusion of women with children is a matter of interest to the entire community, and it's society's duty to protect both the children and the women themselves so they aren't marginalized because they lack the resources to continue their studies. Furthermore, there's the issue of reproductive health, in which some progress has been made in certain countries. Another thing we've decided is that the study of gender, gender discrimination, and gender equality should be interdisciplinary, not an isolated topic, but rather an integral part of the entire curriculum. To make progress politically in this direction, we first need to raise public awareness. This kind of grassroots activism is essential. One of our greatest contributions in this regard is to value women's leadership and foster discussions about inclusion and intersectionality.
What is the contribution of teachers, not just women, in ensuring conditions of greater equality at all levels in universities?
I believe teachers should be allies in this regard. Given their influence over a large number of students, they must contribute to raising awareness about combating inequality, not only in their discourse but also in their teaching methods. It's not uncommon to see female students experiencing sexual harassment or gender discrimination from their own teachers, who discredit what they're saying and value the contributions of male students more highly. I think that today, among teachers in general, there is a more progressive stance, and that's why I see them as allies. But I believe their role is to make the intersectionality of gender equality clear, both in everything they discuss in class and in their teaching methods: not adopting methods that could oppress women or privilege men, which is what often happens in classroom discussions.
What is the current state of regional integration?
At OCLAE, we believe it is crucial to have a joint organization with other educational sectors for participation in the World Conference. I think that in Latin America we have managed to organize ourselves in this regard, primarily through the ENLACES program and other initiatives where we are working, such as with university presidents and professors. This is essential because we have a much stronger voice together than if we were fragmented. This collaborative work has been very important for us.
See : Higher education is not a commodity
If you would like to receive more information about CLACSO's training programs:
[widget id=”custom_html-57″]
to our email lists.
