CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- In the largest protest to date against President
                  Hugo Chavez's government, tens of thousands of parents, students and teachers
                  demonstrated Saturday against education reforms they say aim to introduce
                  leftist indoctrination into schools.

                  Chanting "liberty of education" and waving banners and Venezuelan flags, more
                  than 10,000 people gathered in a Caracas plaza to protest an agreement with
                  Cuba that brings teachers from the communist island to train Venezuelan
                  educators.

                  The protesters also oppose a plan to send inspectors -- hand-picked by top
                  government officials -- to both public and private schools with the power of
                  recommending the dismissal of teachers and administrators. Critics fear the
                  government will use the decree to sack educators who resist teaching Chavez's
                  anti-imperialist, anti-corruption, anti-elitist ideology.

                  The government wants to introduce a course titled "Bolivarian Ideology," a
                  patchwork of vaguely leftist ideals loosely based on the thoughts of South
                  American independence hero Simon Bolivar.

                  "Our educators ... are not soldiers who follow the orders of a military
                  commander. Our teachers are proud owners of their conscience and desire
                  respectful treatment from the state," protest organizer Leonardo Carvajal told the
                  cheering crowd from a podium.

                  Protesters carried signs reading "Chavez don't mess with my children" and "Let
                  us study in freedom." One woman's sign read, "I fled Cuba with my children,
                  will I have to leave Venezuela?"

                  Similar rallies took place in 20 cities across Venezuela, organizers said.

                  "We want to preserve the right to choose what values we inculcate in our
                  children. We cannot accept that the government imposes a doctrine on our
                  children," said Maria Auxiliadora Caraballo, a mother of three.

                  Chavez denies that he wants to indoctrinate students and argues his reforms aim
                  to make education more accessible to poor children. Chavez eliminated
                  registration fees in public schools, allowing thousands more students to attend
                  class.

                  He also created 500 pilot programs called "Bolivarian schools" that provide public
                  school children with free meals, medical care and eight hours of classes a day.

                  Opponents have challenged the decree on inspectors in the Supreme Court.

                  Chavez has responded to detractors of the education reforms by branding them
                  "oligarchs," which in his book include opposition politicians, labor bosses, the
                  media and Catholic bishops.

                  A former paratrooper who led a failed coup in 1992, Chavez has radically
                  reformed Venezuela's politics, replacing the constitution, congress and the
                  supreme court through democratic elections and referendums.

                  His so-called "social revolution" has earned him fanatical adoration from
                  Venezuela's poor majority, which was fed up with decades of corruption and
                  economic mismanagement.

                  But his reformist zeal has seeded deep resentment among the middle and upper
                  classes, who accuse Chavez of trying to impose authoritarian rule.

                  Copyright 2001 The Associated Press.