Education in Chile
Encyclopedia
Education in Chile is divided in preschool, primary school, secondary school
, and technical or higher education
(university
).
, primary and secondary school are mandatory for all Chile
ans.
The Chilean state provides an extensive system of education vouchers that covers almost 90% of primary and secondary students. This extensive voucher system is based on a direct payment to the schools based on daily attendance; in practical terms, if the students moves to a different school, their attendance payments move too.
Schools are either public (nearly all owned by the municipality of the commune in which the school is located) or private, which may receive government subsidies.
The schools offering Technical-Professional programs are denominated:
Compulsory education only covered the 8 years of the Basic Cycle, but since May 7 of 2003, a constitutional reform under the government of president Ricardo Lagos
established free and compulsory Secondary Education for all the inhabitants of Chile up to 18 years old, placing on the State the responsibility of ensuring access to it. This ensures thirteen years of compulsory schooling, which was an unprecedented milestone in Latin America at the time. As of 2008, the LGE (Ley General de Educación), which is currently pending, provides and guarantees 14 years of free compulsory education.
The coverage of the Chilean Educational System is practically universal, like in most highly developed countries, showing enrollment rates that represent that reality. Enrollment in Basic Education reaches 99.7% of children between 6 and 14 years, while the coverage of secondary education enrollment is 87.7% of adolescents between 15 and 18 years.
Subsidized private schools with mandatory tuition have the same admittance and annual enrollment costs as in public schools, but they are allowed to charge a mandatory monthly tuition which cannot be higher than 4 USE (Education Subsidy Unit). This was equal to CLP$60,748.86 in 2008 (about US$116).
Private schools are free to set what they will charge, which may include, admittance, enrollment, tuition costs, as well as a fee for being selected into the school (paid once, and can be quite high in some exclusive schools) and a payment to the so-called Parents Center (Centro de Padres).
There is a third type of public school, the so-called Delegated Administration schools, which are owned by the State but managed and financed by private corporations. These cannot charge for admittance and the annual enrollment cost is the same as in public schools. They are allowed to charge for tuition, but this is wholly voluntary for the parent. The cost is 1.5 UTM (Monthly Tax Unit) annually, which was CLP$451,824 (less than US$865) in 2008.
There is a fourth type of public school, administered by the Ministry of Education and completely financed by the State. Currently, there is only one such school: Escuela Villa Las Estrellas
in Antártica
.
. The difference in quality is accompanied by large differences in prestige rankings, PSU scores for admittance and years of government accreditation.
There is a single, transparent admission system to all traditional universities which integrate the so-called Council of Rectors (Consejo de Rectores). The system, called PSU, an acronym for University Selection Test (Prueba de Selección Universitaria), is very similar to the United States' SAT Reasoning Test
. The design and the evaluation of the test is performed by the University of Chile, while the system itself is managed by the Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación).
The test consists of two mandatory exams, one in Mathematics and one in Language. There are also two adittional specific exams, Sciences (including Chemistry, Physics and Biology fields) and History, depending on which undergraduate program the student wishes to apply to. The cumulative grade point average achieved during secondary school is also taken into account in the final admission score. Every university assigns different weightings to the results of the various exams.
Even though it's not mandatory, several private universities uses PSU scores to select their students.
There are several scholarship programs granted by the government to students based on merit or need. There are also loans programs through private banks with the state acting as guarantee.
In 2010, a total of 250,752 persons took both mandatory PSU tests.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, and technical or higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
(university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
).
Levels of education
The levels of education in Chile are:- Pre-school: For children up to 5 years old, optional for 1 grade until 5th grade
- Primary school: (Enseñanza básica) for children from 5–13 years old, divided into 8 grades.
- Secondary school: (Enseñanza media) for teenagers from 13–18 years old, divided into 4 grades.
- Secondary school is also divided into:
- Scientific-humanities approach: From Tercero Medio (11th grade) in high school, students can choose a subject in either science (math, physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, chemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, biologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
), or humanities (literatureLiteratureLiterature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, historyHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, philosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
), which means they will get more lessons in the area of their choice. - Technical-Professional education: Students receive 'extra' education in the so-called 'technical' areas, such as electricity, mechanics, metal assembly, etc. This second type of education is more typical of public schools (Liceos), to give students from poorer areas a chance to enter the workforce after completion of high school, as a way to fund a possible higher education career later.
- Scientific-humanities approach: From Tercero Medio (11th grade) in high school, students can choose a subject in either science (math, physics
- University: a system divided in "traditional" universities (public and private universities created before the 1981 reform) and a private system.
Primary and secondary levels
According to the constitutionConstitution of Chile
In its temporary dispositions, the document ordered the transition from the former military government, with Augusto Pinochet as President of the Republic, and the Legislative Power of the Military Junta , to a civil one, with a time frame of eight...
, primary and secondary school are mandatory for all Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
ans.
The Chilean state provides an extensive system of education vouchers that covers almost 90% of primary and secondary students. This extensive voucher system is based on a direct payment to the schools based on daily attendance; in practical terms, if the students moves to a different school, their attendance payments move too.
Schools are either public (nearly all owned by the municipality of the commune in which the school is located) or private, which may receive government subsidies.
Basic
The reform of 1965 have established Basic Education as the initial cycle of schooling. Before that, by 1920, the Chilean legislation had established 4 years of minimum mandatory education. By 1929 the minimum had been increased to 6 years. Finally, in 1965 a compulsory Basic Lev 2 cycles and 8 grades, ideally designed for ages 6 to 13.Secondary
The Secondary School is divided between Scientific-Humanist (regular), Technical-Professional (vocational) and Artistic, always with a duration of 2 years. The first two years are the same for the three kinds of schooling, while third and fourth years are differentiated according to the orientation of the school.The schools offering Technical-Professional programs are denominated:
- Industrial Schools: electricity, mechanics, electronics, informatics, among others.
- Commercial Schools: management, accountancy, secretary and similar.
- Technical Schools: fashion, culinary, nursery and the like.
- Polyvalent Schools: offering careers of more than one of those listed above.
Compulsory education only covered the 8 years of the Basic Cycle, but since May 7 of 2003, a constitutional reform under the government of president Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar is a lawyer, economist and social democrat politician, who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. He won the 1999-2000 presidential election by a narrow margin in a runoff over Independent Democrat Union candidate Joaquín Lavín...
established free and compulsory Secondary Education for all the inhabitants of Chile up to 18 years old, placing on the State the responsibility of ensuring access to it. This ensures thirteen years of compulsory schooling, which was an unprecedented milestone in Latin America at the time. As of 2008, the LGE (Ley General de Educación), which is currently pending, provides and guarantees 14 years of free compulsory education.
The coverage of the Chilean Educational System is practically universal, like in most highly developed countries, showing enrollment rates that represent that reality. Enrollment in Basic Education reaches 99.7% of children between 6 and 14 years, while the coverage of secondary education enrollment is 87.7% of adolescents between 15 and 18 years.
Education costs
Public schools and subsidized private schools with voluntary tuition may charge a fee for the admittance process, which is fixed by law. The fee's cost was CLP$3,500 in 2008 (less than US$7). The annual price of enrollment is zero for primary school and cannot be higher than CLP$3,500 for secondary school. A tuition fee may be charged only in secondary school, but it is completely voluntary for the parent.Subsidized private schools with mandatory tuition have the same admittance and annual enrollment costs as in public schools, but they are allowed to charge a mandatory monthly tuition which cannot be higher than 4 USE (Education Subsidy Unit). This was equal to CLP$60,748.86 in 2008 (about US$116).
Private schools are free to set what they will charge, which may include, admittance, enrollment, tuition costs, as well as a fee for being selected into the school (paid once, and can be quite high in some exclusive schools) and a payment to the so-called Parents Center (Centro de Padres).
There is a third type of public school, the so-called Delegated Administration schools, which are owned by the State but managed and financed by private corporations. These cannot charge for admittance and the annual enrollment cost is the same as in public schools. They are allowed to charge for tuition, but this is wholly voluntary for the parent. The cost is 1.5 UTM (Monthly Tax Unit) annually, which was CLP$451,824 (less than US$865) in 2008.
There is a fourth type of public school, administered by the Ministry of Education and completely financed by the State. Currently, there is only one such school: Escuela Villa Las Estrellas
Villa Las Estrellas
Villa Las Estrellas is a Chilean town in Antártica Commune, Antártica Province, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. It is located on President Eduardo Frei Montalva Base, a military base, on King George Island. It is the biggest and one of only two civilian settlements on Antarctica...
in Antártica
Antártica
The Chilean Antarctic Territory is the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile. The Chilean Antarctic Territory ranges from 53°W to 90°W and from the South Pole to 60°S, partially overlapping Argentine and British Antarctic claims...
.
Admission to university
Students can choose between 25 'traditional' universities (public or private) and over 50 private ones, which are increasingly growing in number. However many of the newer private universities are considered of inferior quality when comparing to the older traditional universitiesChilean Traditional Universities
In Chile, the term universidades tradicionales is used to denote the group of universities founded before the 1980s. This term usually includes derivative universities, which are not really traditional but were derived from traditional ones...
. The difference in quality is accompanied by large differences in prestige rankings, PSU scores for admittance and years of government accreditation.
There is a single, transparent admission system to all traditional universities which integrate the so-called Council of Rectors (Consejo de Rectores). The system, called PSU, an acronym for University Selection Test (Prueba de Selección Universitaria), is very similar to the United States' SAT Reasoning Test
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
. The design and the evaluation of the test is performed by the University of Chile, while the system itself is managed by the Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación).
The test consists of two mandatory exams, one in Mathematics and one in Language. There are also two adittional specific exams, Sciences (including Chemistry, Physics and Biology fields) and History, depending on which undergraduate program the student wishes to apply to. The cumulative grade point average achieved during secondary school is also taken into account in the final admission score. Every university assigns different weightings to the results of the various exams.
Even though it's not mandatory, several private universities uses PSU scores to select their students.
There are several scholarship programs granted by the government to students based on merit or need. There are also loans programs through private banks with the state acting as guarantee.
In 2010, a total of 250,752 persons took both mandatory PSU tests.
See also
- 2006 student protests in Chile2006 student protests in ChileThe 2006 student protests in Chile were a series of ongoing student voice protests carried out by high school students across Chile from late April to early June 2006...
- Ministry of Education of ChileMinistry of Education of ChileThe Ministry of Education of Chile is the Ministry of State responsible for promoting the development of education at all levels, to assure all people access to basic education, to stimulate scientific and technological research and artistic creation, and the protection and enhancement of cultural...
- 2011 student protests in Chile
- South America Life Quality Rankings - Education Rankings