Students protest while tourists watch

Not one peso more!

When I was wandering in Puebla’s historic downtown (UNESCO listed), I bumped into a demonstration by students who were protesting against an increase to their education fees.

↑ Squatting on the street, preparing banners for the evening rally

↑ Student protest outside the Palacio de Gobierno at Puebla’s Zocalo

↑ Noisy and crowded, I thought the march was cool.

I do not get too much into political commentary on this blog but I am a strong proponent of free (state sponsored) education for all. Education is the first step towards achieving social emancipation and equity. For societies that are heavily dependent on class/caste system, I believe its even more critical to remove obstacles to education so that everyone, regardless of their financial situation, has access to knowledge.

PS: On that topic, I must note that the “reservation” based education system in India is an unjust system because it introduces the concept of intellectual subsidy rather than a financial one.