Julie Rowlett

Manassas, VA
Senior, Anthropology
Utah State University

Forces of insurrection: The challenges faced by university students while obtaining a degree

INTRODUCTION

On a relatively peaceful afternoon I was walking down the streets of Trujillo. As I neared the Plaza de Armas, I noticed a large gathering of students who were shouting cries of insurrection. Some were holding posters with phrases condemning their university. As I was trying to determine what was happening, one poster caught my attention. The poster contained a clipping from a local newspaper with a picture of a man, on which someone had taken the liberty of adding devil horns with a blue marker. I wondered what had made these students so angry as to revolt in the middle of the city with such force.

I later found out that the despised man on the poster was the president of the university and he had closed the university and cancelled classes because of uprisings similar to the one in the Plaza de Armas. I spoke with students who were upset because of the loss of tuition payments and all of their hard work and time invested in their classes. They participated in the student rallies because it was the only attempt they could make to restore their education.

This is an example of one of the many problems that plague higher education in Peru. Though their future may seem bleak, many students continue to grasp at the false hope that better opportunities lay just around the corner. Their desire to better their economic situation drives them to endure the long and often expensive bureaucracy that plagues the educational system.

With so many obstacles inhibiting their pursuits and lack of post graduate opportunities, I began to wonder what drove students to continue in their educational endeavors. When I came to Peru I knew I wanted to study a topic that I could relate to and in which I could feel a connection between myself and my informants. When deciding to study college students and universities of Peru I was not exactly sure what I would be writing about or what would come out of it. The more I talked with students and graduates of universities; I noticed a constant theme of problems in everyoneÕs educational career. As I began to investigate this idea, I realized that the already stressful and competitive learning environment is further complicated by school politics, a lack of government assistance, and frustration among faculty and students alike. As a result, I decided to focus my efforts in order to understand the obstacles which college students must face in order to earn their degrees, and the process by which they overcome these challenges.

BACKGROUND

There are two types of Universities in Peru. The first and more expensive schools are private universities which are owned and operated by an individual or a group, while the second are national universities, funded by the state. Both of these institutions offer opportunities to students from age 17 and up. Though the process differs between public and private universities, the majority of private universities share similarities in the application procedures.

In order to apply to a private university the only necessity is money. After presenting proof of a high school education all that is left to do is to pay the amount that is required to enter the university, along with any matriculation fees. This amount can be anywhere from $200 US dollars a semester to as high as $800. After five years of study, students are given a degree in the field they chose and move on to find work in the real world.

Application to a public university is a much more difficult and involved process. A required entrance exam is taken by all aspiring students that will place them for acceptance and entry. There are preparatory schools which prime students for these exams, giving them a greater chance of entry to a public school. Once the exam has been taken, if they score high enough, the student is accepted into the university and required to pay around $40 US dollars per semester.

Once accepted into a university, there are similar requirements for students of public and private universities. There are five years of study before graduation and these are spent in classes of general studies and those focused on their major. Similar majors such as psychology, nursing, and political science are offered to students in both private and public universities. Class size differs in public and private universities with smaller class sizes of 20-30 in private universities and larger numbers of 80-100 in public universities.

METHODS

I collected my data through several methods. The first was participant observation. I spent time with students from San Pedro University, the National University in Trujillo, and the Universidad de Chiclayo. I was able to observe while interacting with them through interviews, in the example of two students, and on a field trip with students from San Pedro University. On the field trip I had the opportunity of meeting many students and interacting with them on a friend level, rather than an observant or an ethnographic level. I also observed some strikes of students from the National University in Trujillo. I was able to talk with a few students involved in the strikes to find out their views on the situation.

I also was able to obtain two ethnographic interviews. These were very effective in collecting personal information, as well as information about the universities in Peru. I recorded one interview that was done in English. Another interview was done in Spanish and I had someone translating for me as I took notes that I later expanded.

The last method I used was more general. I created a list of nineteen questions in English about college life in general. I had help translating them into Spanish and then I emailed the questions to various students that I had met throughout the course of being in Huanchaco. I had met several students at a discoteca, and two medical interns at the hospital. Upon meeting these people I told them about my project topic and they enthusiastically agreed to give me their email addresses to ask them questions about their college education experience.

DISCUSSION

As I walk down the street I see a cluttered mess of posters lining the usually white and clean walls of La Universidad Nacional de Trujillo. Posters fill every space of the high cement outer walls of the public university. One large banner reads, "Trujillo: Support your sons and daughters and eradicate corruption in the university." Another lists the "ten demands of the rat" which are "love money above all things, give false testimonies and buy off people who support you, and swear to be director in vain." The fifteen foot tall, thick walls separate the university from the large and crime-ridden surrounding city. Students of National and other local universities congregate around the walls by the entrance of the public facility. The doors are barred by black iron gates, which are then padlocked by a large chain. Police surround the walls in attempts to silence the protesting students. However, it isnÕt the students on the outside the police are worried about containing.

I walk up to a boy in his early twenties who is standing outside the gates. A few minutes earlier, I had watched him talk with a person inside the gates and noticed him hand some things through the small openings of the gate. I was curious what he knew about the situation so I approached the gate in hopes of talking with him. Cesar was more than willing to share the information with me. With a commanding tone in his voice he began to tell me about the "cancerous" situation. As many as 600 students are locked inside the protected walls of La Universidad de Trujillo. In protest of the director of the university, the corruption and scandals that surround him, and in an effort to have their voices heard, they are having a sit-in.

As I continued to speak with Cesar, students joined our conversation and added their assessment of the protest. I realized that, though virtually peaceful, the voices of these students have been heard deafeningly throughout the community and the country in newspapers and news reports. Disorder and instability shrouded the community. The director of the university terminated the current semester even though there were only two weeks remaining. Time, effort, and money were wasted on a four month long semester in a matter of days. Classes were also cancelled for the following semester. One entire school year was wasted because of the irrevocable decision of the University Director.

This is not an isolated incident. Alfredo graduated with a political science degree 2 years ago from La Universidad Nacional de Trujillo. He told me that strikes were a reality that most students face when attending public universities.

During his fourth year of study at the university he was beginning to study for his final exams when he caught wind of the unrest between the students, some professors, and the director of the university. His education had already been put on hold a few years earlier due to a teacher strike that took place in an effort to increase their salary. As he waited for classes to resume, he worked laboriously for his uncle in a large factory. While talking with a coworker one day, Alfredo was surprised to discover that this man was also a professor at one of the local universities. Because of his low salary he had been forced to work another job in order to support his family. Alfredo became friends with the professor and they had many discussions about the university and the problems within.

Over a period of a couple of years, Alfredo crossed paths with many other disgruntled students and professors who were unhappy with the leadership of the University. They frequently discussed what could be done to better the situation and stop the corruption that was plaguing the university. They felt that the only approach to the problem was protesting seeing that there was no other way for their voices to be respectfully heard. Unfortunately, this decision hindered not only the unhappy students, but also the education of everyone in the university; only because a small percentage of disgruntled people want to stop a deeply routed corrupt system.

Eventually this strike too will end, the situation will calm down, and students and professors will go back to school as they have in the past. It is certain, however, that in only a matter of time another group of university associates will want their voice to be heard and the education process will once again be interrupted. If this is a preventable situation, then there is no one that has discovered how to break the destructive circle of corruption and mistrust. It is something that everyone has learned to accept as a risk of attending a public university. For this very reason student opt to attend private and more expensive universities.

The education offered in a private university is regarded more highly than one in a public university. The tuition is more expensive, resulting in a higher salary for the professors which, in turn, will enhance the quality of teaching in the university. Graduates of private universities also have better opportunities after their education that result in faster placement in employment and a higher paying job. Many families are willing to pay more for a student to have the best education affordable and to open doors after graduation. However, the high tuition prevents many students who desire such an education from attending. These privately owned universities receive little if any assistance from government.

While speaking with a student from a private university about the troubles of finances in universities, we came upon the subject of financial aid. Though his mother paid for his schooling, he seemed to know about the lack of financial aid that exists in his country. When I asked if the government offered any financial assistance to students of private universities he responded by laughing out loud saying, No, none at all. It is nonexistent in private schools. You must pay for all expenses yourself. I then asked about the possibility of financial aid in public schools and he answered with a serious face, Very, very little help. The government will only give financial aid to students in extreme circumstances.

The majority of students who attend these universities come from upper class families, which excludes a substantial part of the population from receiving this education. The availability of a good education, much less an education at all, is scarce if you do not have the money to pay for it. It would be helpful to many students to have government assistance so they could afford an education but unfortunately, there is no system here to support that large of a financial endeavor. Financial stress allows only students from upper and middle class families to receive an education. It seems to support the idea that Peru still maintains a caste system in certain levels of society. If born into a lower class family, there is little hope of going to obtain an education and rise to higher social class.

With so many challenges facing students these days it is a wonder that they still spend so much time and energy to obtain an education that may or may not be useful after graduation. However, similar to education in the United States, it can open doors in the future that may not be available without an education. A university degree is a bit of a gamble in an economically unstable country such as Peru, but it is worth all the struggle and challenge if the bet pays off in the end.

CONCLUSION

While in Peru, and mainly in Trujillo, I was able to witness firsthand some of the problems affecting university students. As I thought about my own college career I tried to think what it was that plagued the education system in the United States. Though there are problems finding financial assistance in some cases, it is relatively easy to receive help from the government with an education. I have had no problem receiving grants and loans every semester for school. I was only able to study in Peru because of a loan I took out from the government. I feel lucky that I live in a country where such opportunities are available to me. I live in a country where checks and balances are instituted and it is not possible for a university director to shut down classes without reason. I hoped that by focusing in on some of the problems in universities, they could be examined more closely in the future and possibly efforts would be made to solve these problems.

Perhaps in the future more research can be done on the problems within Peruvian universities. There is plenty of room for interpretation in my studies, as I realize I have only seen the tip of the iceberg. If I would have had more time to spend researching this topic I would have liked to focus on the bureaucracy involved within the education system and within its leadership. I heard many students, professors, and members of the community comment on the corruption involved in the leadership of the government, the universities, and other national institutions. There was always talk of the relationships they all had with one another and how favors and nepotism played a large part in the corruption.

The universities of Peru, though problem ridden, serve an important purpose in the economy by keeping young people educated and allowing them to enter into the workforce with a good background. Another topic that could be addressed in the future is that of the workforce and the availability of work after graduation from the university. I was able to collect information on the topic and found a few graduates who had quit their low paying jobs to work on higher paying cruise ships and others who had gone through five years of schooling only to become a taxi driver. It would be interesting to pursue this problem and discover how it relates directly and indirectly to the economy of Peru.

I was happy to have the input I did about the conditions of universities of Peru. I was able to relate to most of my informants and understand how the problems within the government affect their lives in many aspects. I hope that more can be done in the future to alleviate the challenges and problems faced by university students.