Teacher, Guatemala
In Guatemala City, protesting students have taken over their schools for the past several weeks. Outside Aplicacion Belem Normal School, students could be seen protesting and confronting the riot police. The protest started more than two months ago and for the past few weeks they have taken over schools in the capital.
These university students are protesting against the new educational reform set by the government. The reform will lengthen the university courses for teaching professions from the original three years to five years.
According to the Ministry of Education, there was a meeting between the government and the students; however, an agreement has yet to be reached.
The protest has since escalated. With the presence of police, violence has also intensified. Students have even attacked Education Minister Cynthia del Aguila. Relief workers reported that she was exposed to tear gas and suffered a panic attack. Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla was also injured.
More than 40 people have been injured during the clash between police and students. Recently, a meeting was called by President Otto Perez Molina to try to stop the protest.
Creative Commons Love: Erik Törner on Flickr.com
