Caracas Daily Journal (Jeremy Morgan): President Hugo Chávez appears to have decided to take the pressure off his plan to change the school curriculum, which has aroused loud protests from education professionals and the opposition.
Critics claimed Chávez was intent on brainwashing kids, and wanted to ram the changes through as quickly as possible. A proposal to include a course on his "missions" or social welfare programs came in for particular attack. Teachers' leaders said they planned to stage marches and strikes to halt the new curriculum in its tracks.
Chávez said none of this was his intention, and in revealing the referendum plan, called for a great debate during this and next year on the national school curriculum. Education Deputy Minister Gisela Toro insisted that redesigning the curriculum would take account of ideologies and religions.
Alexis Campo, head of the Bolivarian schools at the Education Ministry, said that the opposition was trying to divert the reform with political ideology. Chávez' decision to go to a referendum demonstrated once more the "participative democracy" Venezuela enjoyed, he added.
Zulia state Governor Manuel Rosales of the opposition claimed that the president's decision to "put on the brakes" was a victory for a democratic people.
The proposed changes in the curriculum violated the Constitution, laws and international accords, he said, predicting they would be defeated at the referendum.
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