Colombian students keep up protests

Colombian students across the country said they will keep protesting for education reform after months of deliberation with the government, officials said. The spokesperson for the Federation of University Students, Jairo Rivera, said students will continue a strike against a controversial government proposal to allow private organizations to fund university activities, El Espectador reported Wednesday. The government decided to withdraw the for-profit section of the reform in August, but Rivera said the government is attacking public education. "We believe it is a lie when they say they withdrew the profit motive and that there will be more resources," said Rivera. "We will not lift the strike until they withdraw the draft." Education Minister Maria Fernando Campo said the government would support the reform plans in a comprehensive and firm manner. President Juan Manuel Santos proposed the education reform in March, provoking nationwide protests the following month.