First Hugo Chavez silenced the independent media by fining newspapers, arresting journalists and ultimately shutting down the main independent television station. Now he's silencing unapproved thought in the schools of Venezuela, rewriting the textbooks to reflect his version of history, writing Marxism into the curriculum at every level and threatening private schools with closure if they don't conform to state approved educational guidelines.
Last year Chavez' Minister of Education, Aristobulo Isturiz, laid the groundwork for the new "Bolivarian" education program to be imposed in Venezuela when he announced: "Teachers should be the first soldiers of the revolution ... No Director of a public school shall have his, her job validated unless an evaluation is made, so that we are certain that they know what is the type of republic we want."
Having already consolidated control over Venezuela's public schools and universities, including bringing in Cuban indoctrination experts to consult and injecting Marxism into the curriculum even in the medical schools, Chavez is now assaulting the last bastion of academic independence, the private secondary schools to which business and intellectual leaders send their kids. Objecting that the private schools teach "capitalism" and "consumerism," Chavez has declared that if these schools do not allow inspectors to keep them compliant with the socialist agenda of the "new Bolivarian educational system," the schools will be shut down.
Zulay Campos of the Bolivarian State Academic Commission, which will carry out inspections to make sure that private schools comply with the government's curriculum stated: "We must train socially minded people to help the community, and that's why the revolution's socialist program is being implemented ... If they attack us because we're indoctrinating, well yes, we're doing it, because those capitalist ideas that our young people have — and that have done so much damage to our people — must be eliminated."
So while these private schools will remain nominally independent, they will use the new textbooks being authored by the government and will teach the version of history and the political ideology of the chavista regime or they will be shut down. For the kids of Venezuela there will be no truth except that fabricated by the government, not thoughts except those approved by the state and no escape unless they leave the country. The superior schools which used to turn out the nation's leaders will now turn out indoctrinated robots fanatically loyal to the regime and its leader for life, Hugo Chavez.
Conscious of the negative reaction both inside and outside Venezuela to his efforts to turn education into indoctrination, Chavez has defended his vision of education for Venezuela: "I'm calling on parents to be conscious of our kids. Let's instill in them values. Be careful with the television programs. There are a lot of bad influences, the internet, child pornography, consumerism, to name a few." He went on to make a call to action, saying "Let's rescue our traditions and forget about the stupid Spiderman and Batman movies. That is ideology!"
Gosh it all sounds so good. He's making a socialist paradise and dragging the people along with him whether they want it or not. Controlling the media is the key to controlling the minds of the people and controlling education gives even stronger control over future generations. With all of this plus his new plan to change the Constitution so he can be President for Life, Chavez is well on his way towards creating an eternal autocracy with the same methods employed by Pol Pot, Kim il Sung and his mentor Fidel Castro.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Doug Hunter
The sad thing is that many leftists in the US worship guys like this. It goes to show who has the real core values (like freedom and liberty) at heart.
2 - Lumpy
can't wait until moonraven and the chavez spin machine find this one.
3 - troll
she will say that in her humble opinion this article is a propagandist's fiction based on opinion rather than fact and news
here is Chavez' statement that I'd like explaned:
"La Constitución los reconoce pero ellos deben subordinarse a la Constitución y al proyecto educativo nacional bolivariano, el que no quiera va a tener que cerrar su escuela. Si viene un director y se niega, hay que intervenirlo, se cierra y se nacionaliza. Eso quiero dejarlo yo muy claro y sé que cuento con el apoyo de la gran mayoría de padres y maestros de Venezuela".
is he not saying that all schools public and private must become what he calls 'bolivarianas schools' - is he not claiming a state monopoly on ideas - ?
while my gringo illusions about freedom of thought and open education mean absolutely nothing in the world south of the border Chavez once again appears to be realizing my worst hopes and fondest fears
4 - RJ
I don't care what anybody says, Pat Robertson was right: Someone needs to step on this bug.
5 - troll
bellicose bravado blows (dead bears)
6 - REMF
^ You mean the same Pat Robertson of the Hypocrites Hall of Fame? No thanks.
7 - Clavos
troll, it says:
"The Constitution recognizes them (?), but they must subordinate themselves to the Constitution and to the national Bolivarian educational project; he who refuses will have to close his school. If it (the school) has a director and he refuses, we will have to intervene, close it down, and nationalize it. I want to make this very clear, and I know I can count on the support of the great majority of Venezuelan parents and teachers."
8 - moonraven
Just about exactly a year ago I first visited this site as a result of Nalle's writing a completely uninformed, totally bigoted "article" (I am trying to be generous given Nalle's lack of formal education and English language skills) in which his central theme was the following: Hugo Chavez is crazy because he called Bush The Devil at the UN.
Actually, Chavez--as always--was ahead of his time. Since then there are plenty of folks right there in the old degraded USA that are doing a very brisk business in bumper stickers that say the following: Chavez was right: Bush IS the Devil!.
Among other gems of geographical wisdom in regard to Venezuela, Nalle has told us that it is one of the countries in Central America.
And he has ALMOST visited it because his doppleganger, clavos, touched down at the airport that serves Caracas one time in the 80s or early 90s--well confined to the pre-history of BC--Before Chavez.
Yet, despite his failure to provide even ONE piece of fact or information in regard to Venezuela, Nalle is a self-proclaimed expert on the country.
Amazing, what sheer asshole nerve can bring folks to!
The point of the current slash and bash piece against Chavez--one of the few world leaders with brains, balls and a heart--is that he is forcing all educational enterprises to be supervised in the implementation of approved curricula.
HMMMMMMMMM.....Where have we heard that before? Ah yes, in the US Department of Education. In the various accrediting bodies throughout the country. If you want accredited studies from a US school, that school must provide the government-approved curriculum.
It is, by sheer coincidence, the same here in Mexico! Wow!
We have a case right now in the state of Morelos where I live where two or three escuelas patitos (little duck schools, literally--private schools that spring up like mushrooms after a rainstorm all over this country) have not had their plans of study approved by the folks at the State University of Morelos (the patitos in question are self-proclaimed universities in this case, therefore the state university has supervisory responsibility--rather than the basic education offices of the Secretary of Public Education) and therefore their degrees are not recognized.
Chavez indicated that his government had been remiss in applying necessary government supervision and accreditation in regard to the private schools in Venezuela. And that that is now going to change.
Good for him! It's about fucking time, considering that when I was there for the month of June students in the private schools were being given extra credit not to do extra work, not to even BE in the classroom--but to march in the supposedly "spontaneous" student protests regarding the non-renewal (not closure, as Nalle would have you folks believe) of the license of a PRIVATE TV station which openly called for the overthrow of the government.
How long would RCTV last in the USA? Less than 15 minutes, and its owners and operators would be in Guatanamo labeled enemy combatants.
I am happy to see Chavez finally applying the same standards across the board that his government began applying several years ago in the Bolivarian schools--where the pedagogical method is based on that of the most important pedagogical thinker of the Twentieth Century, Paulo Freire (who said--among other things: ALLL EDUCATION IS POLITICAL).
Now, just to cut off folks like clavos at the knees who will say that Paulo Freire was a renegade commie pinko fuckhead: Perhaps he would like to check to see which US PRIVATE university hosted Freire when the US-backed coup occurred in Brazil in 1964: HARVARD.
And which PUBLIC US university is the site of the Paulo Freire Center: UCLA.
I whole-heartedly applaud the government of Venezuela in its project to clean house in the private educational sector--since it has already done so in the public sector!
I wish to fuck there was leadership here in Mexico capable of doing the same thing. Maybe Mexico would stop fighting with Brazil for last place every year in the OCDE evaluations.
But all of you, of course, are more than free to believe the bullshit thrown at the wall here on BC by such an "expert" in a) education and b) Latin American Affairs as Dave Nalle.
Your ignorance is only exceeded by your commitment to same.
9 - Dave Nalle
Ah, she finally showed up.
Moonraven, every quote and every fact in the article is backed up by a major media link or a link directly to someone in Venezuela or supported by direct quotes from Chavez or someone in his government.
Prove that these quotes are lies. Provide sources which say that these people did not say these things which they are on public record as having said, or take your laughable propaganda for this tinpot dictator and stuff it.
Dave
10 - moonraven
YOU stuff it, fatass!
Where did I say that your quotes from the Chavez government were lies?
Show me.
I am saying that what the government is doing is STANDARD PROCEDURE in all countries I am familiar with--and they are legion, including the US.
So what's the deal here, Nalle?
How is Chavez Pol Pot?
Tell us.
1.2 million Iraquis dead--and counting: that sounds a WHOLE lot like Pol Pot.
Oh, but that CANNOT be--it's GW Bush!!!!!!
Nalle, you should be ashamed for even breathing.
11 - moonraven
And in your next post, I expect you post the names of ALL the European countries in which a president can be re-elected indefinitely.
I believe there are 17.
12 - moonraven
And one final comment:
Nalle bases most of his quotes on articles posted on Venezuelanalysis.com, the English language site which I have recommended on several occasions on this site for folks who do not speak Spanish.
Yet in the past Nalle has always dismissed Gregory Wilpert's Venezuelanalysis.com as a far left commie pinko propagnanda site funded by Hugo Chavez.
And that Gregory Wilpert is a Chavez marxist commie pinko Chavez crony.
How about explaining:
1. your use of the site you satanized the last time you posted?
2. why you post links to OPINION PIECES WRITTEN BY YOU?
3. why, if Wilpert is a Chavez crony, he could not even get an interview with him for his recently published book, Changing Venezuela by Taking Power?
13 - Dave Nalle
The US requires all schools to use text books authored by the government and threatens to close down private schools if they don't?
Come again? You really are delusional.
Dave
14 - Dave Nalle
1. your use of the site you satanized the last time you posted?
Because I wanted to be fair and present both sides of the argument. It's something called journalistic integrity, clearly something you've never heard of.
2. why you post links to OPINION PIECES WRITTEN BY YOU?
Because it was a news piece and contained relevant info all consolidated in one place. You've never been able to contest or dispute any of the facts in that article either.
3. why, if Wilpert is a Chavez crony, he could not even get an interview with him for his recently published book, Changing Venezuela by Taking Power?
I believe I called him a stooge. And whether he lies for his own reasons or is paid to do so by Chavez doesn't change the fact that he's spreading propaganda beneficial to the Chavez regime.
Dave
15 - REMF
"YOU stuff it, fatass!"
- moonraven
Not to be too picky, moon, but it's lardass.
16 - STM
MR likes Hugo.
I believe they have shared moments, although whether these were magical or not none of us are privy.
Possibly they were much better at least than the many frozen moments she has shared with D. "lard-arse" Nalle. This has been one of them :)
17 - STM
Also, Dave is writing about Venezuela, so why does he keep quoting people from Bolivaria?
Fess up Nalle, I need to know.
18 - Dave Nalle
Perhaps Chavez admires fellow dictator Than Shwe and plans to rename Venezuela as Bolivaria the way Than Shwe renamed Burma to Myanmar.
Dave
19 - STM
Dave: Does Myanmar belong to the grouping of independent states that also includes Iran and North Korea??
20 - Dave Nalle
Stan, I haven't heard that Myanmar has made efforts to establish those kinds of ties, but they do have an authoritarian regime with the trappings of socialism, so they'd fit right in.
Iran, North Korea and Venezuela do have direct diplomatic, military and economic ties.
Dave
21 - REMF
"MR likes Hugo. I believe they have shared moments, although whether these were magical or not none of us are privy."
- STM
By that same reasoning - since you like Clavos - I believe the two of you may have shared moments; although I could give a shit whether they were magical or not...
22 - Clavos
@#21:
And this would be worth the waste of bandwidth because...?
Can you define non sequitur?
I thought not.
23 - REMF
"Can you define non sequitur?"
Yes, see #16.
24 - bliffle
If Colin Powell announces that he has incontrovertible proof that Myanmar has nuclear weapons can we invade then?
25 - Christopher Rose
Well, based on past performance, a lot of people would believe it!