Venezuela Needs Educated Leaders
Eighteen years ago Hugo Chavez Frias fooled Venezuelans. He promised a change from the terrible government in charge at the time, promised food for the poor and promised a better life for every citizen in the country, but his words didn’t become more than that.
Since then, Venezuelans have been trying to remove Chavez and his accomplices from power. Currently, the majority of the adults in Venezuela are protesting against them and doing everything they can to stop them.
The main characters at every protest are college students who risk their lives every day for a better future. They have been humiliated, beaten, shot, injured and even killed by the military forces that support the government.
High schools students are aware of what is happening outside their classrooms and have decided to join the protests. They stopped going to class when marches are being held and stated that just as students who have been killed can’t go to class anymore, they will not go either.
They started protesting with the noble idea of helping their country. Students wanted to be heard and make people understand that they do care about their future.
“There are different roles on this story. Part of the students go to the protests and make the presence of all high schoolers be felt,” said Sofía Feijoó, a 16-year-old student in Venezuela. “Those students who aren’t allowed by their parents to march, go to class and give their notes to those who did go to the marches.”
However, this routine didn’t last long. Feijoó says that many students just take advantage of the situation to “grab some vacation.” She explained some use the protests as an excuse to miss school and then enjoy themselves at the mall or the movies.
As noble as their reason to start protesting was, they now only appear to use the marches as an excuse to avoid working on any test or homework.
Students started missing school even on the days when no marches were being held. Many of them deliberately plan to miss school, and most of the times there aren’t enough students in the classroom to perform tests or assignments. In fact, when some students reject the plan and go to class, they receive a wave of hate.
It is understandable to miss some days of school to go to protests and fight for your country. However, they should pay the same attention to their studies. They are trying to get this government out of power, but how do they plan to carry a nation without an education?
Paying attention to the protests is caring about the present, but paying attention to their studies is caring about the future. What if we are able to remove this government from power but then get a leader who’s not prepared and doesn’t know how to help this country? Are we really making a change?
The only way to be successful long term is by providing the country leaders that understand how to direct a nation—leaders that study and prepare themselves.
