María Paz Arzola, Chile's new Education Minister, presented her legislative priorities on Tuesday to the Chamber of Deputies' Education Committee, joined by her three undersecretaries. She highlighted financial deficits in eight programs and outlined proposals for school, early childhood, and higher education. She announced reviews of the SLEP transfer calendar and SAE changes.
María Paz Arzola made her official debut as Education Minister before the Chamber of Deputies' Education Committee, presenting 69 slides on the inherited financial situation at the Ministry of Education. “It’s not normal,” she said of deficits in at least eight programs, including school subsidies and Public Education Local Services (SLEP). She viewed it as a chance to reallocate resources, shifting emphasis from higher to lower education levels. For schooling, axes include accessibility, learning focus, good coexistence, and quality opportunities. Proposals cover updating reentry subsidies, aiding chronic absenteeism detection, legal reform for service continuity, and bolstering low-performing schools through the Quality Agency. Plans also include consolidating Bicentennial High Schools, continuing the “A convivir se aprende” program, advancing the School Coexistence Law, and simplifying regulations to ease administrative burdens, with SEP law reforms. On SLEP, she stressed reviewing transfer calendars amid municipal differences: “We cannot be blind to that heterogeneity.” Early childhood priorities are quality, coverage, and needs-based financing. For higher education, update offerings, review degrees, limit gratuity expansion until early childhood coverage, and pursue CAE collections. Deputies raised issues: Emilia Schneider (FA) on superintendent José Miguel Salazar’s resignation; Arzola noted ongoing processes and requested exit. Ricardo Neumann (UDI) asked about SAE, where positives remain but merit and flexibility will be added. Daniela Serrano (PC) inquired on cuts and CAE, unanswered fully.
