This month, Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet sent down to the national congress the final instalment of her government’s education reform – part of her 2013 campaign promise to introduce universal free university education. The chief demand of Chile’s restive students, who have been protesting since 2011, the reform is one of Bachelet’s three electoral pledges (along with fiscal and constitutional reform). Despite the fiscal reform, aimed at covering the cost of the education reform [RBS-14-09], being approved in 2014, uncertainty persists as to how the education reform is to be funded given the continued domestic economic slowdown, stemming in part from the fall in commodities prices – in particular, copper, Chile’s main export. This uncertainty, together with the lack of clarity surrounding the time frame for the education reform as well as aspects of the initiative itself, have led students’ organisations like Confederación de Estudiantes de Chile (Confech), along with university students’ federations, to once again take to the streets in protest.End of preview - This article contains approximately 1642 words.
Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article
Not a Subscriber?
Choose from one of the following options