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Original article: Movimiento estudiantil retoma articulación nacional ante agenda de la ultraderecha: “No estamos dispuestos a retroceder”

«We will not back down,» declared the student movement as they announced plans to reestablish national coordination to confront the agenda driven by the far-right.

In this way, the National Confederation of Students (Confech) and the National Network of Student Centers (Renace) have committed to a joint struggle, establishing permanent coordination mechanisms and a united action plan.

The decision, made during a meeting yesterday at the headquarters of the Federation of Students of the University of Chile, broadens the opposition front by formally including workers in their dialogue and protest table. This coordination responds to what they term a «structural threat» to public interests, materializing in the modification of the School Admission System (SAE), potential budget cuts for higher education, and the controversial mega tax reform pushed from La Moneda.

The core of the agreement includes three fundamental axes that will guide the movement’s actions in the coming months. Firstly, a permanent coordination with regular meetings was established to ensure that decisions are effective against legislative attacks.

Secondly, the organizations designed a joint action plan focused on two critical fronts: the unconditional defense of the current SAE and opposition to any budget cuts in the budget law that would impact the education sector. Finally, they agreed to expand the social alliance, formally integrating Renace into the working table they share with the Central Unitary Workers’ Federation (CUT).

The voices of student leaders echoed the urgency and resolve of the current political moment. Laura Mlynarz, president of Fech and spokesperson for Confech, warned that the threat against public interests is neither coincidental nor temporary but arises from a structural logic pushed by far-right sectors.

«We are coordinating with secondary students and workers because the threat to public interests is structural. The far-right, with the approval of the PDG, plans to take advantage of a temporary majority in Congress to push an agenda that undermines public universities,» she stated in comments to Radio Nuevo Mundo.

In this context, she emphasized that the student movement’s response will not be fragmented but will rely on «unity and mobilization» as the only tools to halt the dismantling.

«Modifying the School Admission Law is a Step Back to Segregation»

Meanwhile, Renace’s national spokesperson, Leon Arratia, conveyed the message from secondary classrooms: «We say it loud and clear, we are not willing to take a single step back».

He warned that the project seeking to modify the School Admission Law represents a return to discriminatory practices where family income level serves as an access filter.

«Attempting to change the School Admission Law is a return to segregation and discrimination, where schools chose students based on wealth. This government aims to privatize and undermine public education, but we secondary students will remain organized on the streets,» he emphasized.

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