“I recognize the deficit we have in education“This was the mea culpa that President Gabriel Boric made before the Senate Education Commission, according to Senator Yasna Provoste (DC) last January.
On that occasion, the legislator from the Atacama Region stated that “we are entering the third year of President Boric’s government and if there is any consensus, as the President himself expressed, it is that the development and approach to educational tasks has been very far from expectations.”
The truth is that the education crisis is not new and the year 2023 showed multiple signs of a weakened system. It was a year marked by changes in the Ministry of Education (Mineduc), with the arrival of Nicolás Cataldo (PC) as minister, after the departure of professor Marco Antonio Ávila (RD).
In addition, there were conflicts with the College of Teachers, unsatisfactory results in the SIMCE and PISA tests, as well as a complicated situation in Atacama, where more than 30 thousand students were prevented from attending regular classes for more than three months.
Added to this are situations of violence, emotional deterioration among both teachers and students, and the always difficult management of economic resources. Consequently, the year 2024 requires clear preparation by the Ministry of Education, especially to address the difficulties derived from the implementation of the Local Public Education Services (SLEP)which continue to be a considerable obstacle for governments.
For this reason, both Minister Cataldo and the members of the Senate Education Commission are deployed precisely in the Atacama Region, specifically in Copiapó. Since they are in the same city, the Executive and Legislative authorities will meet this Friday to prepare for the start of the school year in March, which will not be an easy task.
Nicolás Cataldo, at the blackboard
The head of the Education portfolio arrived in Atacama this Thursday, with the purpose of verifying the progress of the works aimed at improving the infrastructure of the SLEP establishments for the 2024 school year, but also to sign a collaboration agreement with the Government Regional (GORE) of Atacama led by Miguel Vargas.
“We deployed as a ministry in the commune of Copiapó, visiting the El Chañar School, to inspect the work carried out,” detailed from the Ministry of Education.
The inspection by Minister Cataldo, accompanied by Undersecretaries Alejandra Arratia and Claudia Lagos, and Seremi Pablo Selles, together with the director of Escuela El Chañar, Claudio Aguirre, occurs amid a series of criticisms made by teachers, who have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in infrastructure, despite La Moneda’s promises.
Both the director of the Copiapó Music Lyceum, Daniela Guzmán, and her counterpart at the El Chañar School in Copiapó, Claudio Aguirre, have pointed out that although the SLEP has coordinated work this week, the problem lies in “a systemic problem.”
The teachers’ demands include the repair of various structural elements such as glass, doors, bathrooms, floors, ceilings and electrical installations, which has led many professionals to limit themselves to teaching theoretical classes due to the lack of resources for activities in classroom.
The SLEP has promised to address these concerns before the start of classes, however, according to the College of Teachers, these promises have not yet been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, the Children’s Ombudsman released a report detailing the crisis in the area, highlighting a series of problems arising from the management of the Atacama SLEP, including the lack of execution of works in January and inactivity in several schools.
Agreement with the Regional Government
“Today we have achieved a very relevant milestone for public education,” said Minister Cataldo, after the officialization of the agreement, which considers resources of $324 billion and was finalized this Thursday during the visit of the Secretary of State to Copiapó.
“On the one hand, there are the agreements that will project investments in the medium and long term to improve the region’s school infrastructure,” explained Minister Cataldo, ensuring that the investments will contemplate the Local Public Education Services (SLEP) of Atacama and Huasco.
The Undersecretary of Education, Alejandra Arratia, also participated in the agreement signing ceremony; the Undersecretary of Early Childhood Education, Claudia Lagos; the director of Public Education (s), Rodrigo Egaña; the Seremi of Education of Atacama, Pablo Selles, the alternate executive director of SLEP Atacama, Cecilia Brito; the executive director of SLEP Huasco, Javier Obanos; along with regional counselors.
March is also coming to the senators
In parallel to the minister’s visit and given the same situation, the members of the Senate Education Commission will have a meeting prior to the start of the legislative year, this Thursday afternoon, at the headquarters of the Copiapó Teachers College.
The Senate Education Commission is made up of José García Ruminot (RN), Yasna Provoste (DC), Carmen Gloria Aravena (REP), Gustavo Sanhueza (UDI) and Fidel Espinoza (PS).
Today, like the minister, the senators will visit educational establishments in the area.
On Friday, around noon, the members of the Senate Education Commission will meet in Copiapó to examine the reality of public education in the Atacama region. From the Mineduc they confirm the presence of Minister Cataldo in said session.
After the meeting, a press point will be offered to present the main aspects of the legislative work in the area.
It is worth mentioning that last week concluded with a warning from the opposition in terms of initiating a counter-reform in education, since they disapprove of the ministerial management.
From La Moneda, after a meeting between Minister Cataldo and representatives of the ruling parties, the legislative agenda in Education for March was established. The priority will be the New Public Education Law, focused on the implementation of the SLEP, especially to address critical situations in areas such as Atacama, which would leave in second place the forgiveness of the State Guaranteed Credit (CAE) and the historical debt of the teachers. All topics addressed by President Boric in his 2023 Public Account.
