Chile's president appeals students not to stage protests in 2012
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Xinhua, January 28, 2012
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Friday urged students not to stage protests that affected the South American country last year and to make 2012 a "more constructive" year.
"I want to ask you to make 2012 a more constructive year. If protests, violence and 'seizures' continue, we aren't going to move forward," said Pinera during an event when he issued the Solidarity Loan Fund Law.
The law will benefit 110,000 debtor students by granting 15 years for them to pay tuition loans.
During 2011, Chilean students held massive protests and occupied schools and universities for more than seven months. Their demands for an end to private schools' profiteering and a reform of the education system were largely supported by the Chileans.
In his speech, Pinera mentioned last year's protests, saying "We need the Chilean youth, we need their enthusiasm, their idealism, audacity and even their irreverence. But what we don't want is violence, destruction and seizing schools."
The president said his government has won the support of the Congress on the education reform, but leaders from Chile's Students Confederation have rejected the plan as it had not addressed the main education problems.
Pinera said he hoped the Chilean youth and especially student leaders would help solve the problems rather than aggravating them.
