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Youth Protests Against Privatization Reforms in Post-Soviet Education

Iveta Silova, Viktoriia Brezheniuk, Marina Kudasova, Olga Mun, Nikolai Artemev

College of Education, Lehigh University

Youth protests around the world

Milestones of privatization reforms

establishment of private universities

introduction of “private seats”

in the public higher education institutions

commercialization of educational

services

commitment to the

Bologna declaration

principles

Research questions and methods

What are students protesting against in Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine?

How do images and discourses construct youth protests in mass media, government rhetoric, and academic research?

Money rules the world No to reforms

Data Sources

• YouTube videos, newspaper articles, academic publications on Latvia, Russia, Ukraine

• Total of 350 images of posters and slogans, including 100 in Russia, 90 in Ukraine, and 160 in Latvia

Sample:youth protests 2009-2012

Criteria/Country

Ukraine (12) Russia (12) Latvia (6)

Location Large cities, simultaneous protests at multiple locations

Large cities, geographically diverse

Primarily Riga

Organizers and participants

“Direct Action,” “Vidsich,” “Svidomo,” “Edinstvo,” Ukrainian Association of Student Governance, High school students, teachers, parents. No affiliation with political parties.

Student organizations, parents’ movements, NGOs, political parties

Latvian Student Union, student organizations from the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, Latvian Academy of Culture, Latvian Academy of Arts, professors

Number of participants

100-1000 Average 100 (10-1000)

50-5000

Findings

Slogan Theme Example

Youth as activists and agents of change

“Rebel! Love! Do not give away your rights!”

The right to free and quality education

“Free education for everyone”

Stopping reforms, saving schools “Let's save schools! Let's protect our children!”

Knowledge/education as a commodity

“Don't convert education into service!”

Degradation of or danger to society, education, and culture

“Latvia’s future - darkness and poverty”

Critique of policy makers and the government

“Get out, ministers! Get out, capitalists!”

Threat of immigration “Ireland, English, Norway - our future!”

Other “Donate to state budget”

Education is not a commodity, it is a right

Knowledge is not a commodity

 Education is not a business, a service, or a luxury-it is a right (Russia, 2010)

Mom is a milkmaid, father is a tractor driver. Who is going to pay for education? (Ukraine, 2011)

We have a better chance of winning by gambling than by getting into the budget (state-financed) group! (Latvia, 2009)

Neoliberal education reforms as degradation and death: Let’s stop the reforms and save schools

Cut?Ukrainian education: we remember and miss

Russia is in danger! Off criminal reforms!

New law on education: before -a person, after- a monkey.

School of the future - ticket to "ZH“ (Russia, 2010)

Let’s save our children! (Russia, 2012)

Stability overcome, ruin achieved (Ukraine, 2012)

Stop abuse! (Ukraine, 2012)

OMG, they killed higher education! (Latvia, 2009)

For reform, not deform! (Latvia, 2012)

“Funeral” of Latvian Education

The future without education is the same as putting on plastic bag over your head and stop breathing (2012)

The head and hands will be cut next (2011)

RIP [Rest in Peace] Higher Education (2009)

Threat of immigration (Latvia)

43% less money to education, 43% less residents in Latvia

There won’t be enough space in Ireland for everyone (2009)

Ireland, England, Norway - our future (2009)

Universities are closed, students are away, Latvia is empty (2012)

Critique of politicians and policymakers Why notcondemn those whodestroyed our country?(2009)

Killers of the future! (2009)

The skinnier the student, the fatter the deputy (2009)

Bloodsuckers of student scholarships (2012)

Tabachnik to prison, then we will go to class! (2011)

Education for Azarov is like a woman for a deadman (2011)

Money to universities, and not for toys for the president (2011)

3 incompletes- out of the ministry!Azarov, do not drink students’ blood

Deputies are parasites, they do not let students live

Fursenko’s grade book. Exam: fail

Fursenko to the blackboard Save on education- go bankrupt on prisons

Are you still receiving scholarships? Then we are coming to you!

Russian officials are reforming our system of education and sending their children to study abroad (2011)

Students as agents of change

Student! Fight for your rights!

Granite of science is also a brick

We want radical changes!!! Leave the little thingsto yourselves!

Hands off from Moscow universities

Student is ready to fight, our world is not for sale (Russia, 2010)

Rebel! Love! Do not give away your rights(Ukraine, 2011)

Students are power! (Latvia, 2009)

Portrayal of Protests by Mass Media, Government Officials, and Academic research

Ignoring

Dismissing youth protests as insignificant

Students only interested in showing off

Protesters as deviants, lonely, or immature

Disorganized and uninformed

Manipulated by others for political purposes

Students as deviants, lonely, immature

“Membership in youth movements may be largely due to a desire to overcome

feelings of loneliness and disorientation, finding a position that would bring

comfort and communicative living, substituting the community that was left after being admitted to the university“ (Pustoshinkaya, 2010)

Russia’s youth is referred to as “generation zero”—

generation that was socialized within new social and

economical paradigm during 2000-2009

“Maybe they started and they simply cannot stop” (head of public initiative “Student protection,” Ukraine)

Students as disorganized and uninformed

"I believe that students should research first and not just come to protest.”

(representative of All-Ukrainian Student council Anastasia Sokolova)

“In order to declare a law, it is necessary to take part in the discussion, make

suggestions, and not only stand and solve problems on the street.” (Maxim

Lutskiy, Deputy from the Regional Party)

“This is not the way things are organized. I go out to the street and get

to know that you have gathered

spontaneously. It looks very weird to me.

Protests have to be organized,

have logic and be understandable

to everyone” (Rector of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy,

2010)

Showing off

“Protests are the outcome of the Internet discussion, but more importantly construct a framework within which young people attend the protests with the purpose of taking videos and posting on the Internet to gain popularity among friends” (Pustoshinskaya, 2010)

“To some extent, it seems fashionable for the young people today to attend protests, to video record themselves and their friends on Iphone on the background of the crowd and then post it on Facebook in order to get some comments from their Facebook friends.   Especially, it seems honorable to carry their own customized poster /banner/ installation of deliberately ironic nature” (Homyakova, 2010)

Manipulated by others

Against Ukrainophob Tabachnik

Anti-semitism

Against the government of Yanukovich

(*foreign sponsorship)

Support

• The mass media coverage of youth protests has rarely

reached any major international outlets

• Most support is very localized

“Students can stand up for their rights, and failure awaits them only in case they do not try at all” (Indymadia Belarus)

“ The only alternative is socialism on a world scale, in which workers and youth take control of industry and education out of the hands of bureaucrats and capitalists and run society internationally on their own” (International Marxist Tendency, 2010)