COLOMBIA'S TEACHERS & STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST REFORM BILL

[Judi Lynn]

COLOMBIA'S TEACHERS & STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST REFORM BILL
Bernama – 20 minutes ago

BOGOTA, April 8 (BERNAMA-NNN-AGENCIES) - Thousands of Colombian students and teachers marched the streets in protest of a reform bill that could allow privatisation of public schools.

At least five large groups of protestors marched from their universities in Bogota to the Bolivar Square near the Congress and headquarters of the Colombian government. Protests also broke out in other major cities across the country, local media reported yesterday.

The marches were organised by Colombia''s Central Union of Workers (CUT) and were under tight security control. About 15,000 police were deployed in Bogota to keep order, Colombian Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera said. The protests were peaceful, although they caused traffic jams in the capital city, Rivera said.

Last month, the Colombian government presented to the national legislature a reform bill for higher education addressing the problem of its lack of resources.

More:
http://my.news.yahoo.com/colombias-teachers-students-protest-against-reform-bill-20110408-020447-983.html