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Public Education Policies in Chile: Tensions and Conflicts in the Ongoing Reforms

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Second International Handbook of Urban Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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Abstract

The main tensions and conflicts experienced by public education in Chilean society are analyzed within the framework of the transformations undertaken since 2014. These transformations are the result of a scenario, strategic in its development – as reflected in the conflicts generated, essentially, by the proposals to improve the present situation of the sector – that insists on market regulation, while alternative proposals are generated by those upholding education as a social right, with the consequences this implies. This chapter deals with the current state of debate of the mentioned topic from a documentary review, immersing it within the contextual elements that illustrate the problem, the conditioning factors and its demands, thus evidencing the conflicts that have arisen and the tensions that have taken place in Chile.

Text of the project from the National Fund of Scientific and Technological Research of Chile (Fondecyt) N° 1150350

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The more convincing attempts at change took place in the 1990s, with the unsuccessful attempt to change the Constitutional Organic Law on Teaching (LOCE). Those we called “testimonial” correspond to the draft bill on Strengthening Public Education from the year 2006, which had virtually no parliamentary discussion and was finally withdrawn from Parliament.

  2. 2.

    Some specialists indicate, without necessarily having an empirical base to endorse it, that the new middle layers of Chilean society is moved by two themes: consumption and education. That would indicate belonging to the “new middle class”.

  3. 3.

    An example of this were the initial announcements, in view of their negative to adopt reforms on profit control, about the Government purchasing private schools, which yield to pressures and was changed by a rental system and finally by a leasing system as a formula to amortize resources, all that in a 6 months period.

  4. 4.

    This proposal understands free schooling as the provision of a service paid by the State.

  5. 5.

    Shared-financing was approved in 1988, but it was corrected upward in 1993, during the first democratic government. It was defined as a copayment mechanism, structured in sections, to which schools apply (mainly privates). It entails a monthly fee per student paid by the family.

  6. 6.

    The review of national examination results (SIMCE) or the international (PISA), evidence processes/results.

  7. 7.

    Some profit making educational entrepreneurs and educational businesses have been criticized for making profits with public resources, at school as well as at tertiary level, though the latter is forbidden by law.

  8. 8.

    Selection must apply when there are more applicants than vacancies. The criticism arises as selection is related to the socioeconomic background of students’ families, thus there are not real equal opportunities.

  9. 9.

    www.ciperchile.cl Report on profit in Chilean higher education.

  10. 10.

    A detailed review of financial instruments, foundations and critical aspects is presented by Donoso (2013) Chapter III, pgs. 87–170.

  11. 11.

    Withdraw school from council administration (translator’s note)

  12. 12.

    In September 2014, an ad hoc commission handed to the government a proposal considering from direct election of political authorities to greater autonomy for the sector. The itinerary would start in 2015, though relevant educational measures are proposed as of 2018.

  13. 13.

    Although education expenditure in Chile is approximately 7 %, public expenditure it is slightly higher than 4 %, thus there is a need to increase it, not counting the debated private expenditure replacement in some areas at school level (Gobierno de Chile 2014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Educacional, University of Talca, 2 Norte, 685, 3460000, Talca, Chile

    Sebastián Donoso-Díaz & Moyra Castro-Paredes

Authors
  1. Sebastián Donoso-Díaz
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  2. Moyra Castro-Paredes
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Correspondence to Sebastián Donoso-Díaz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Educational Policy & Lead'ship, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

    William T. Pink

  2. School of Education, Uni. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    George W. Noblit

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Donoso-Díaz, S., Castro-Paredes, M. (2017). Public Education Policies in Chile: Tensions and Conflicts in the Ongoing Reforms. In: Pink, W., Noblit, G. (eds) Second International Handbook of Urban Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40317-5_28

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