1st Class Graduates from 'Hugo Chavez School' in Bolivia

On Friday, Bolivia’s President Evo Morales gave an address to the graduation ceremony at a public school named after Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. Morales said that he hopes the graduates will becomes professionals “at the service of the people”.

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The school is located in the small town of Isinuta, that forms part of the Chapare tropical region in the department of Cochabamba. The region is known for Coca growing and is Morales’ home department where he led the Coca growers union before arriving at the presidency.

At the ceremony, Morales said; “This graduation of new professionals at the service of the Bolivian people is for Isinuta, for the tropic and for Bolivia.” He continued, “To achieve technological liberation, the Bolivian people and the state needs new human talent with a lot of scientific knowledge.”

The school specializes in science and technology, and it was opened by the government in July 2017. The institution provides free education to 700 students in the rural Chapare area. It is equipped with modern science labs and computer facilities.

At the opening ceremony in 2017 the new students wore Chavez’ symbolic red beret. Cochabamba governor Ivan Canelas celebrated the institution being named after Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, saying “How can we not pay homage to Comandante Hugo Chavez? Comandante Chavez with Comandante Fidel Castro taught us as the real importance of solidarity between brothers”

At the graduation ceremony Friday, Morales pointed out that his government has built over 160 state schools that specialize in techcnology since coming to power in 2006, arguing it was only made possible by the nationalization of natural resources and strategic industries.