On May 29 , as every year, the Student's Day is celebrated in Ecuador ; an event that seeks to pay tribute to all those student heroes who gave their lives to achieve the right to freely enter the different universities in the country.
The Student's Day in Ecuador has its origin in a historical event that was a turning point for education in our country. Do you want to know what happened and why is Student's Day celebrated on May 29 ? Read on and find out.
History of Student Day in Ecuador
The Student's Day in Ecuador dates back to 1969 due to the student movement; This has always starred in innumerable fights, however one of the most important occurred precisely on May 29, 1969.
During this day, a group of young people took over the facilities of the Casona Universitaria in the city of Guayaquil. The students demanded that they have free access to universities. As a result of the protest, around 30 youths were killed and about 140 were tortured.
It is said that among the accomplices of this massacre was the University Council of that moment, as well as the Governor of the province and the Carabineros, who shot and evicted the students from the Casona with their weapons. All of them were at the service and were following orders from the Government of Velasco Ibarra.
In memory of this event and all the great struggles that the student movement has lived through, every May 29 Student Day is celebrated in Ecuador.