That's because "huelga" is Spanish for strike. I'm not exactly sure why they're striking though. Lots of schools are striking because the government wants to create a citizenship class for the equivalent of 8th grade that would be taught in English. The fact that it would be taught in English is one problem people have with it, but also because it would deal with topics like abortion, homosexuality, etc. I've heard varied things on this: some people don't want the school/government explaining those things to kids, thinking the parents should do it, while other people just don't think it should be taught. Anyways, that is one reason some students and schools are striking. But they passed out a sheet that explained why we were striking at our school. I didn't quite understand it, so I put it through a translator, and this is what it said:
1."In the last years there has been a gradual privatization of the public education; the investment has been reduced while it has increased the dedicated money to the private-arranged education."
2. "The Bolonia plans mean the privatization of the university affirming that they compare to us with Europe, with the mentioned plans the present diplomaturas and degrees to transform them into graduates and postgraduates that besides consisting of an own test of access can arrive at 3.500€ of cost; the scholarships will not get to cover those amounts. They want to replace the scholarships by bank loans, that they will have to return when it is begun to work.
3. "The new selectividad (basically their ACT/SAT) introduces an oral test of foreign language and hardens the access to the more demanded university careers than they will enter more than the own baccalaureate."
So it's one or the other. Or maybe a combination of the two. Whichever it was, I didn't have to go to school. And since I won't be here next year for any of the changes to affect me, the fact that I didn't have to go to school is what mattered the most to me. =)
Update 12/18/2008: Yesterday we were supposed to have another strike, but the radio that morning said the strike was called off because they would not be having the citizenship class. So i went to school, where it appeared I was the only one. I finally got in touch with Sofia (who was still sleeping), who explained that the strike had only been canceled for the teachers. I saw the paper today that said that the Community of Valencia had voted to not instate the citizenship class. And since we still had a strike, I'm thinking the other three reasons are why we are striking.
Currently listening to:
Song: Change
Artist: 3 Doors Down
Album: Away From the Sun
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2 comments:
did you understand the radio or did your family tell you what it said?
I wasn't really paying attention the radio. They told me that it said the strike was canceled, so I half-listened for a second, and I caught a few words, which told me the same thing my parents had. I can understand most of it, except for when they get excited and talk really fast.
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