No this is not click bait, the funding for Puerto Rico’s University is being cut by $300,000,000. In order to have a clearer perspective on why they are doing this, you need to know that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States but not a state. I am not going to go into details about what Puerto Ricans want the island’s status to be because it is a long conversation. It is important to understand Puerto Rico’s political status since Puerto Rico has a debt of $72 billion and because it is not a state it cannot declare bankruptcy which is the option that is needed to remove the huge burden of this debt.
The US has imposed a Fiscal Oversight Board to manage the economy of the island and make sure that the debt is being paid. While the oversite board might have looked like a good idea on paper, it is far from perfect. One of the issues is that only one out of the nine board members was named by Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rosello and the remaining eight by President Obama. This has resulted in people who had never stepped foot on the island before being appointed to the board, making decisions that affect the lives of all the Puerto Ricans living there. One more significant problem is that the decisions made by this board can’t be overturned by the rest of the government.
One of the many orders issued by the board to pay off the debt is to cut $300 million in funds from la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR). If those funds were to be cut The UPR would have to close down nine out of its eleven campuses. In addition to the closing of campuses, numerous classes at the remaining to campuses would be cut, professors would be fired and resources, like scholarships, would be limited or non-existent. This would transform the country’s university into a place exclusively for the rich since tuition costs would rise. Today the students began a two-day strike to show the board that they are ready to fight for their right to an education.
“Que sepan los nacidos y los que van a nacer, que nacimos para vencer y no para ser vencidos” -Che Guevara #ParoUPRRP pic.twitter.com/a5dSfDZEFn
— Carla M. (@carlaaamarie) 23 februari 2017
Above are some pictures of the gates of the UPR Rio Piedras Campus that has been covered with banners made by the students. The quote on the tweet translates to “Let it be known to the born and to the once to be born that we were born to overcome not to be overcome”.
Vista desde el Senado. Se siguen sumando estudiantes. pic.twitter.com/ImK56WlzWJ
— Leysa Caro (@Leysa0320) February 23, 2017
A picture from above the march. Tweet translates to “The view from the Senate. Students keep joining.”
Today the students of Puerto Rico are marching in opposition to large cuts to their education fund #ManifestacionUPR #ThisIsWhyITravel pic.twitter.com/RsH9vqveUX
— Justin DeHart (@dehartless2) February 23, 2017
The pictures above were taken by a tourist that who had decided to join the march.
#ManifestacionUPR pic.twitter.com/X3DFQZL1fH
— Pulso Estudiantil (@PulsoEST) February 23, 2017
“We are the rebels of the last Jedi” and “For an education that will teach us how to think not obey” are some of the signs around the march.
This march is not only important for Puerto Rico, but also for students all around the world. Your mind is the greatest weapon you have, and with an education, you can change the world. Education should be a right, not a privilege.
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