Chilean Education Reforms: Alessandri to Frei (1958-1965)
Consolidated Schools in Chile
These schools extended from kindergarten to vocational high school, reflecting the agricultural character of their areas with an emphasis on civic education. Students graduated with an intermediate degree and the expertise to begin work practices.
Experimental Secondary Schools
Ríos proposed a plan for the gradual renewal of secondary education, creating:
- Coeducational Lyceums (High Schools)
- Programs preparing students with civic values and job skills.
- Comprehensive training approaches.
- A focus on the student as the center of development.
Jorge Alessandri Palma (1958-1964)
This period saw significant changes, often described as the country’s first revolutionary government in certain aspects.
1963 Agrarian Reform & Education
Agrarian reform involved redistributing land from the wealthy to the poor. Educational changes were integrated, linked to improving the quality of life in rural areas.
The Church began to take on a more significant educational role, with priests initiating their own reforms. Peasant unions were formed. In response, the state reacted by creating the Basic Plan.
Coordinated Basic Plan
This was a coordinated plan based on education, agricultural extension, and public health, supported by international financing.
It aimed to modernize the peasantry by integrating technology that laborers needed to learn. Educational establishments offered agricultural specialization with an emphasis on technological transformation.
- The methodology emphasized “Learning by doing.”
- The teacher’s role shifted primarily to that of a facilitator.
The implementation of these models led to a crisis and clash within secondary education. Traditional high schools were criticized for not integrating students into society and relying heavily on rote learning. Conversely, the refurbished high schools were seen by some as delivering overly relaxed practical training and action.
Unified Lyceum Proposal (1952)
This report outlined a vision for a better high school system for Chile.
Educational Objectives:
- Prepare students for democracy and societal integration (through guidance counseling, student centers, etc.).
- Foster personality development.
- Provide general and specialized preparation (including economic education), linking education to the economy and equipping students with necessary tools.
Subjects were separated into areas like language arts, mathematics, and history on one side, and economics on the other.
This period witnessed an accelerated process of social change.
Eduardo Frei’s 1965 Education Reform
Eduardo Frei Montalva’s government faced a period of tense social change. The 1965 Education Reform Act represents one of the widest and deepest education reforms designed in the country, establishing education as a state priority.
Aims and Rationale of the 1965 Law
- Education as an Inalienable Right: To be extended to all individuals within the limits of their personal capabilities.
- Human Formation: The central purpose was the formation of the human person, grounded in democratic principles.
- Social Integration: Valued the role of education in incorporating individuals into community life and as a determinant of social change, emphasizing the need for integration.
- Economic Development: Positioned education as an agent for economic development. The goal was shaping future workers to be responsible and efficient.
- Lifelong Learning: Viewed education as a lifelong process. The aim was the continuous development and training of human resources.
Frei proposed a “Revolution in Liberty,” including popular promotion (opening pathways for the marginalized) and making everyone a participatory citizen (through neighborhood associations, mothers’ centers, student councils, etc.). Frei intended constitutional, agricultural, and educational reforms, aiming to build an entirely new education system.
Diagnosis of the Education System
A commission took a holistic approach, diagnosing the state of the education system:
- Access: 2,200 children were outside the school system.
- Completion (Primary): Only 32% of students enrolled in the first years of primary education completed the compulsory 6 years.
- Early Dropout (Primary): 50% of dropouts occurred in the first 2 years of primary school.
- Literacy: There were 1,500 illiterate individuals (Note: This number seems low for a national statistic and might refer to a specific sample or region, or be a typo in the original source).
- Average Schooling: The national average was 4.2 years of schooling.
- Transition to High School: 30% of pupils leaving primary school did not continue to high school due to lack of space.
- University Dropout: University education experienced a 40% dropout rate.