MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile has most “rich-poor” segregated education system

The segregation of rich and poor students in Chile may be the worst in the world, according to a recent Universidad de Chile study confirming what many education leaders already suspected.

Chile's education system ranked as the "top most economically segregated" system among the 40 nations investigated by the U of Chile research team. "You would assume that school is a place for integration" said Universidad de Chile researcher Pablo Valenzuela. "But in reality, our schools are even more segregated, rich from poor, than the neighborhoods we live in". Researchers believe that the greater the economic segregation in Chile the less opportunity poorer students have to rise from poverty. The segregation is made worse by the homogeneity of the schools, with poorer students studying with other poor students. Valenzuela said he believed the tremendous wealth polarization in Chile's educational system can be traced to the decision made in the early 1990s to create subsidized schools, i.e. private schools that are given state subsidies according to the number of students they serve. The direct impact of this decision is still felt today, said Valenzuela. "The students are divided between schools, according to their ability to pay. And the consequences are serious," he said. "The poorest schools have the highest drop-out rates, lowest parent involvement and least qualified teachers." The Santiago Times