update 12th Dec. VICTORY!. The ‘school decimation’ has been suspended for a year and the Education Minister Voorwald has resigned. Many occupied schools have decided in assembly to CONTINUE OCCUPYING, calling for total cancellation of government plans and solutions for many other issues.
update thurs 10 Dec.. 136 schools are still occupied!!!
BY ERIN GALLAGHER REVOLUTION NEWS Students and teachers in São Paulo continue to protest against conservative Governor Alckmin’s attempts to “reorganize” the educational system in São Paulo which will involve closing almost 100 schools.
The student movement is fully autonomous and self-organized with protesters mostly between the ages of 13 to 18 occupying high schools around the city.
As of the time of this publication, the website keeping track listed a total of 219 occupied schools. Plans for the reorganization have been temporarily suspended so occupation numbers may be dropping. The student movement has gained such support that some students in Italy have now occupied a school in Rome inspired by the student occupations in Brazil.
200 Brazilian Schools Occupied – Police Attack Students
The government proposal announced in September by the State’s Educational Administration will affect 311,000 students and their families; and 74,000 teachers in 1,464 schools. According to São Paulo State Secretary of Education Herman Voorwald, the proposal is intended to reduce the complexity of school administration by separating schools into three levels: “Ensino Fundamental I” (ages 6 to 10), “Ensino Fundamental II” (ages 11 to 14) and “Ensino Medio” (ages 15 to 17).
Students and teachers fear the school closures will lead to classroom overcrowding, teacher firings reductions in salaries, and limiting access to education for lower to middle income students. The occupations of schools are an effort to force a dialogue with the authorities as well as draw attention to existing problems in Brazil’s public school system such as over crowded classrooms, lack of basic items like desks and chairs, shortages of computers and inadequate security.
“The conditions at our schools are precarious enough and with these closures, they will only get more precarious,” 18-year-old Eudes Cassio da Silva Oliveira told Al Jazeera at the Fernao Dias school, the first to be occupied.
The occupiers ages range from ages 13 to 18, and they have been receiving widespread support from both parents and teachers. On November 13, a judge who had previously given a 24 hour notice for the students to leave the occupied schools, went back on his decision by stating that the current occupations are not a matter of invasion of public buildings, but a matter of occupation with a firm political basis. This means that the students are legal occupiers.
“I was a student and a teacher in the state-funded system, and I’ve never seen a movement like this,” says history teacher Marco Cabral, “This moment is unique. I’ve never seen a movement on educational themes that didn’t come from teachers and their syndicates. The strikes involving the public system happen every year, without much mobilization of the parents or students. Now with students in the forefront of the movement we see a lot of parental support. I hope this sparks a change in the history of education in São Paulo, but it’s too early to tell.”
Dazed Digital reports these occupations are symptomatic of a much larger educational crisis that is present throughout Brazil’s history – state-funded schools have a tendency to be underfunded and overcrowded, with underpaid teachers. This re-structuring would mean there would be, in some cases, over one hundred students in each classroom.
Earlier in 2015, teachers took part in a three month strike demanding that the government increase spending on education. Teachers then campaigned for decent pay and for an end to the underfunding of education.
A continuously updated list of occupied schools can be found here with links to their individual facebook pages. Hashtags to follow on social media are #OcuparEresistir, #OcupaEscola and #ReorganizaçãoNão.
Sources:
READ MORE: 200 Brazilian Schools Occupied – Police Attack Students
A massive student march took place today in São Paulo with estimated 10,000 students participating. Students, parents and teachers attended the protest in support of the students to mobilize against the reorganization of state schools.
“#OcupaEscola March of the students take the AV. Paulista and follow in the direction of Consolação. #ProtestoSP”
“March continues to 9 de julho. #OcupaEscola #menoscortesmaisescolas”
“#OcupaEscola march comes to 14A Square blocking the 9 of July Avenue bridge in both directions”
Students in this next video are chanting for an end to the militarized policing of protests. Protesters also demanded an investigation be opened into the actions of military police in the student protests of recent weeks.
The march was peaceful all day until the police tear gassed the protesters, because some people allegedly threw rocks.
“#OcupaEscola repression in the center of Sao Paulo”
“[Self-defence] Students arm barricades to stay safely away from police and continue peacefully.”
“#OcupaEscola 21:40 Repression. In an attempt to disperse the Av consolação, more bombs”
“#OcupaEscola 21:45 Repression. In attempt to disperse Av Consolação with R Sergipe more bombs.”
Reports are still coming in regarding arrests & injuries. Initial reports of 9 students arrested and possibly 2 minors beaten by police.
“Two of the detainees were minors and beaten by cowardly cops. Many others were beaten in the vicinity of the march. #OcupaEscola”
The website tracking which schools are occupied also has links to facebook pages for many of the individual occupations. We recommend checking them all out. All of the students involved are posting pictures and videos of the progress they are making in each school while they are occupying them such as cleaning and organizing classes.





Alunos desocupam a E.E. Gavião Peixoto, em Perus, na capital (Foto: Werther Santana/Estadão Conteúdo)







Estudantes durante Virada Ocupação (Foto: Fabio Tito/G1)
Criolo se apresenta na Virada Ocupação (Foto: Fabio Tito/G1)
Vitrola Sintética em apresentação na Virada Ocupação (Foto: Fabio Tito/G1)
O ex-secretário de Educação do Estado de São Paulo, Herman Voorwald (Foto: Tiago Queiroz/Estadão)

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