TOMAS

So last week there was drama with some of the other schools in Angol, where my volunteer friends are.  It is not uncommon here in Chile for students to go on strike, because there is a huge student-propelled movement for education reform nationwide. It usually happens in universities, but some high schools have taken up the charge as well.  But it's not just a strike, it's a takeover.  Students sneak in in the middle of the night and literally take over the school, barricading the gates and not letting any adults in (so there are no classes, obviously). Then a little group of these protesting students just live in the school, eating and sleeping (and doing other things) there until the issue that they are protesting is resolved.  This is called a toma, and it can last anywhere from a few days to a few months.  What blows my mind is that the protest is actually taken seriously- parents, staff, students groups, and education officials hold meetings with the protesting students to try to mediate the issue, and police are not allowed to enter the school or otherwise try to force the students out.  

WELL. This happened at my friend's school last week!  Unlike my school, his is only high school students, and they were upset because they feel the administration does not respond to their needs.  Apparently all year there have only been 6 functioning girls' toilets for the entire student body, and none of the staff or administrators would do anything about it.  And there seemed to be general accumulated dissent against the director (principal), so the students were demanding his resignation. Some students broke in on last Sunday night and a group of about 30 of them successfully held the school all week until they were satisfied with the mediation and gave it back up on Friday. Apparently they completely tore the school apart while they were in there, vandalizing and breaking things all over the place (this is not always the case with tomas).  The other volunteers and I were fascinated by all the updates and really just the whole general concept that this type of thing happens here.  No group of American high school students would ever be that organized and active like that, and I think it's amazing! The concept of it, not the vandalism. We got the impression it was a bit of a Lord-of-the-Flies situation in there.  

Hilariously (to me), another volunteer's school, which was very close by, was on toma-watch because their students were getting vocal, so the director and various parents slept in the school every night to prevent any kids from breaking in.  Some did try, but they got caught.  There seem to be minimal penalties for students who take over their schools, but often other non-students join them (either alumni or older siblings or bored, revolution-deprived 20-somethings), and those people get arrested. It's all very fascinating! 

Anyway, here are some pictures from the outside of the toma school. They barricaded the gate with desk chairs, put up signs and flags, and dragged furniture out onto the roof to keep watch over the front door at all times. It's basically every teenager's fantasy to take over their school and party in it for a week, right? Little rebels. 

Meanwhile, all is well at my semi-private Catholic school. I asked my host siblings a ton of questions about tomas and learned that there was a successful one at our school back in 2006, when the student reform movement first kicked off with the Penguin Revolution (b/c the uniforms that Chilean high schoolers wear make them look like penguins?), and a few years ago there was a failed attempt.  Based purely on the physical layout of our buildings and also the nun-ruled administration at our school, I would imagine it's very difficult to successfully take it over. But who knows!