Chile’s student leaders call on government to reconsider education budget

President of CONFECH Gabriel Boric outlines his proposals.
Photo by Emily Green/The Santiago Times.

Leaders of Chile’s student movement presented their 2013 budget proposal before a mixed Congressional committee Monday, reiterating their call for greater government investment in public education.


The proposal called for the state to cover 30 percent of public university budgets which they estimate would cost 1 percent of the overall government budget for 2013, or US$750 million.

Absent from the presentation, much to the displeasure of student leaders, was Education Minister Harald Beyer, who is crucial to the discussion.

Spokesperson for the student union association of secondary school students of Chile (CONES), Gabriel Gonzalez, told The Santiago Times he considered the minister’s absence a mark of disrespect.

“We hope to have some influence on the political debate surrounding education spending, but we consider it a basic lack of respect that the Education Minister was not present to hear our proposal,” he said.

Although President Sebastián Piñera plans to invest a historic 21 percent of the total budget in 2013 in education, student leaders have expressed concerns that the government continues to neglect public education in favor of private schools and universities.

Gabriel Boric, president of the Student Federation of Universidad de Chile (FECH), also highlighted the need to increase subsidies for food and daily expenses for the poorest students.

“This government promised us in a letter that they would increase lunch subsidies which have remained the same since 2007,” he said. “The current allowance stands at 1,300 pesos (US$3). We would like to see members of the government to try eating on that budget every day.”

Also present was former FECH President and current Vice President Camila Vallejo, who spoke of the need for the government to invest in public education.

“The government consistently tells us they want to protect our mixed (public-private) education system,” she said. “However, what they are proposing is an increase in investment in private sector education which will ultimately lead to the destruction of free education in Chile.”

“In order to guarantee freedom of education, the government must address the problem that millions of families and students have no access to free education and have no option but to enroll in the private system,” she added.

- The Santiago Times