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    July 06, 2011

Chile Proposes Education Reforms Following Student Protests

   VOA News
   Students scuffle with riot police outside the Education Minister in
   Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, July 5, 2011
   Photo: AP
   Students scuffle with riot police outside the Education Minister in
   Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, July 5, 2011.

   Chile's government has promised $4 billion in education reforms in
   response to mass student protests in the country.
   President Sebastian Pinera proposed on Tuesday the formation of an
   education fund that will help increase scholarships and grants for
   students seeking higher education.
   The announcement follows protests by tens of thousands of students last
   week in Chile's capital Santiago. Many students complain of
   prohibitively expensive tuition and difficult university entrance
   requirements.
   President Pinera also faces a sagging approval rating, which has
   dropped from 63 percent in October to a new low of 36 percent in May.

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