Chile's Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz clarified on Friday that there will be no cuts to school feeding programs or scholarships, following controversy over a memo suggesting the discontinuation of 15 Ministry of Education programs for the 2027 budget. The document, dated April 21, is part of the initial budget formulation process and does not represent a final decision, according to the minister. Opposition figures and right-wing voices criticized the suggestion, particularly regarding the School Feeding Program.
On April 21, Chile's Ministry of Finance sent a memo to all ministries with guidelines for the 2027 Budget Bill draft, amid a context of 'fiscal tightness' requiring adjustments. The document includes results from Dipres (Budget Directorate)'s Monitoring and Evaluation System, recommending discontinuation of 15 Ministry of Education (Mineduc) programs, such as the School Feeding Program ($1.061 billion) and the Public Education Support Fund ($167 million). Another 42 programs must be cut by at least 15%, including Subvención Gratuidad and the State-Guaranteed Loan.
On Friday, April 24, Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz clarified the memo's scope. "There will be no cuts to food programs, scholarships, nothing," he assured, stressing it is a routine annual Dipres process for spending corrections, not a decree. "Here there is no decision to discontinue or end any program; it's a memo, the spending search decree is not yet in place," he added.
Hacienda later issued a statement confirming the memo provides 'programmatic orientations' in the initial budget cycle stage, based on systematic evaluations to improve execution. Final decisions will be made when submitting the bill to Congress.
The suggestion drew immediate backlash. Former presidential candidate Evelyn Matthei wrote on X: "Minister, instruct your team because it makes us all nervous. For many children, this is their only meal of the day. You don't play with that." Opposition and right-wing sectors questioned the list.
