MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Relief for Bachelet: Chilean Congress passes ambitious education reform
Chile's President Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday her government was preparing the second phase of an ambitious education reform, hours after Congress approved the first set of changes. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesThe problem is that the tax overhaul to increase revenues for the state has caused new investment to significantly drop and economic growth has fallen far behind original estimates.
Jan 28th, 2015 - 02:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0We needed educational reforms, but with a dramatic drop in copper prices, it will be difficult to pay for.
Copper fell like a rock and Argentina and Brazil are having currency crises....Argentina closer to a violent conflict with each passing day. In santiago the finance guys I met were long dollar and short chilean shares before the election. I think a turnaround would be after a bank crisis. Theres an impending insolvency. Argentina is actually the worst possible case scenario playing out. The breakdown in institutions is centered around a religious divide.
Jan 28th, 2015 - 05:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Think, as Mr.Eyzaguirre, thinks that Chile has finally recovered its historic tradition in education and renewed it with some of the World's best practices...
Jan 28th, 2015 - 08:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0As a South American and close neighbour, Think is happy for his Chile lindo...
Fuerza Mami!
@1 Chicureo
Jan 29th, 2015 - 10:06 am - Link - Report abuse 0Certainly right. Greeting this 2015!
@2
“Theres an impending insolvency”
Really? Impending? Don't wait standing.
@3 Primito Think
The current educational system, whilst flawed, has taken us from having one of the lowest levels of education in the region to having the highest. I know that you don't like that but it is true. Our Us are the highest ranked and the UN PISA ranking puts our school education top (in the region, still very low globally).
Why change a system that is delivering improvements? And replace it with uncertainty and a tax burden that is and will effect the economy?
Condorito: Feliz Año
Jan 29th, 2015 - 01:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The constant violence and destruction caused by supposedly “students” was really a targeted manipulation of the young vote to assure the Left's victory in the elections. It was successful.
THINK
“Mami” would have won the election with or without her promises for free education, but it was a very populist ploy that misled a lot of young voters. I sincerely do appreciate your happiness about Chile's social progress.
Almost everyone agreed that our country needed to invest and improve our public education, but the impact of the new policy will result with a negative effect on many semi-private schools.
Good K-12 education is an investment to any nation's future. Currently in Chile, there are scholarships available for high aptitude applicants, but the remainder are burdened with expensive tuition and costs. (Those students pursuing public education is an exception.) We'll now see that change, but there is no focus on selection of majors which has resulted in a glut of graduates in journalism, architecture, psychology, etc... with no employment opportunities.
To add what Condorito points out regarding Chile's current educational ranking, it should be noted that our universities are some of the best in Latin America, with Chile having two in the top ten. (Argentina none)
http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=
(4) Condorito, hermanito de una misma madre...
Jan 29th, 2015 - 05:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You ask...:
“Why change a system that is delivering improvements? And replace it with uncertainty and a tax burden that is and will effect the economy?”
I say...:
Well................ maybe because that's the declared wish of the vast majority of Shilean citizens?
I know that you don't like that but...... that's the way the cookie currently crumbles in our nick of the woods..
(5) Nunca bien ponderado Chicureo
¡2,49 dolares la libra!
Juppppp........................... Mami will have to focus and cut on that costly glut of graduates in armyry, airforcery and navalry... including their very expensive toys with serve no productive purpose whatsoever.
I'm all for free education. It is what Chile needs to take the next developmental step. Chile can afford it. As long as the standards aren't lowered like they were in Argentina's tertiary sector.
Jan 29th, 2015 - 05:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It will only differentiate itself more from the basket case that Think is forced to live in.
Chile and Argentina are travelling on the same road. Unfortunately for Argentina it is not one-way. And they are heading in the opposite direction to Chile.
Indeed the differences are becoming too big and entrenched that the Andes will soon look like the Rio Grande.
@ Think
Jan 30th, 2015 - 01:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You are right that I don't like democracy when it is manipulated by populist promises. When a respected politician promises that everything is going to be free, of course she will win votes. The removal of profit taking and subsidies is a separate matter to improving standards. We all want the standard of education to improve, the proposed measures won't achieve that.
The subsidised schools have been key in bringing the standard of primary and secondary education up (I point out yet again, to the highest in the region) i.e. a great success. The proposals will remove these schools in the current form and force them to become either fully private or be taken over by the central authority.
In my area, the better subsidised schools have already announced they plan to go private. This will mean a doubling of fees roughly. It also means a social segregation, those parents who can reach to the new fee will keep their children in the schools, those who can't will have to go in to the lower performing government schools. The schools that go private will have greater income, less bureaucracy and children from “better” homes, giving them great advantages over the public schools.
One of the aims of the reforms was to reduce social segregation. The huge irony here is that the only sector where there is social diversity is in the subsidised schools. There are no poor children in the private schools and there are no wealthy children in the public schools. In the subsidised schools there are both. That will go, the system will be polarised ... and the cost is huge.
Well hermanito...
Jan 30th, 2015 - 07:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The private schools will set their fees according to what the market can bear and continue catering for their limited Clientele as they always have done...
In the meantime..., I trust this reform to grant ALL the necessary resources to make the public school the best place for ALL the Shilean kids to be...
THINK
Feb 01st, 2015 - 09:38 am - Link - Report abuse 0Our military schools provide an equal opportunity for all segments of society to study and contribute to the national security, scientific research and UN peacekeeping. Whe certainly would be very happy to reduce our dependence on purchasing so many deadly toys only if we could trust our immediate neighbors a little bit more. “Mami” has said that publicly as well.
Condorito
“Spot on” as my professors at the Grange used to say.
C'mon, Chicureo...
Feb 01st, 2015 - 06:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0What immediate neighbours can't you trust?
Us Argies..., that have taken the wise POLITICAL decision of almost dismantling our useless Armed Farces to the point that even Paraguay could beat them on a eventual conflict?
The Peruvians.., that in the last many years have shown an unprecedented will of economical and social integration with Shile?
Don't tell me that ALL those expensive troops and weapons are to defend yourself from los Bolitas?
A couple of hundreds Pacos de Ibañez would suffice to that purpose...
THINK
Feb 02nd, 2015 - 10:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The world wastes money on deadly toys. Sad, but true.
Well, the Indians in the Norte have difficulty understanding common sense and will never seek reality. The Peruvians seem to be more reasonable and have even allowed us to take over a large percentage of their aviation transport, retail and supermarket business. Yet we still need a strong military presence to keep them at bay.
Regarding our other dear neighbor's, you're completely correct as the K's have nearly destroyed your military, along with a severe weakening of your social instutions and economy.
Your Navy still maintains the highest officers mess service and the Circulo Military club is world class. That's about all that is left. Still, we continue with mines is certain critical areas of the border and maintain our bases in the south.
(12) Generalisimo Chicureo...
Feb 02nd, 2015 - 11:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So..., what you intrinsically are telling me is that the Shilean Armed Farces are grossly parasitizing the Shilean people under the excuse of defending them against some bowler hat wearing fatty Cholas, some wannabe Shilean Peruanitos vendidos and some Argie maîtres d'hôtel & sommeliers in fancy uniforms?
THINK
Feb 03rd, 2015 - 12:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Well, there are a few more functions of our armed forces, but your summary pretty much sums up our external threats, especially the cholas...
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