The Chilean government reinforces its stance to bar university gratuidad for students convicted of serious crimes, as part of the Escuelas Protegidas bill, amid heated debate on its constitutionality and impact on social reintegration.
The “Escuelas Protegidas” bill, signed Tuesday by President José Antonio Kast, aims to combat school violence through security measures. Its sixth article states that to access university gratuidad, beneficiaries must not have been convicted by firm sentence for crimes against life, physical or psychic integrity, property, or public infrastructure.
Government spokesperson Mara Sedini defended the initiative Friday from Ñuble, citing incidents like an inspector's death in Calama a week ago and the aggression against Science Minister Ximena Lincolao at Universidad Austral de Valdivia. “It is not common sense that they receive benefits paid by all of us after committing crimes,” Sedini stated, stressing rights and duties.
The Republicanos party bench urged immediate discussion and criticized the Communist Party for allegedly delaying it. Ñuñoa mayor Sebastián Sichel backed restricting gratuidad but favored a “toolkit” of flexible measures over uniform mandates, like metal detectors in all schools.
Academics differ: Emilio Oñate from Universidad Central calls it an unconstitutional “double sanction” hindering reintegration, while Joaquín Palma from Universidad Finis Terrae argues gratuidad is a configurable state benefit, not an absolute right.
Meanwhile, the Superintendencia de Educación released a practical guide with measures like security committees, mental health reinforcement, and entry controls. Acting superintendent Pamela Adriazola Rojas emphasized: “The safety and well-being of students and teams are an absolute priority.”