Chilean government and students meet

After months of protests that often ended in street battles, government ministers in Chile have met student representatives to set the agenda for talks about the future of education in the country. The two sides will meet officially next week.

Student leader Camilla Vallejo told reporters the talks were tense but their main demand, that state education should be free to all, is top of the agenda for next week’s talks.

The students have been protesting daily since June, demanding a major overhaul of the system that they say is profit-motivated and of a poor standard.

The protests have spread into other sectors of society and driven down President Sebastian Pinera’s approval ratings. They are now the lowest of any Chilean president since the return of democracy in 1990.

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