The Simce 2025 application for eighth grade faced issues on October 22, when examiners from the company Infer failed to arrive at 146 schools in the Metropolitan Region, suspending the Math and Sciences test. Authorities rescheduled the affected evaluations and will impose sanctions on the provider, while defending the process's validity. The incident affects only 2.4% of national establishments, within usual parameters.
The Simce 2025 system for eighth grade began on October 22 with Math and Sciences tests for nearly 272,000 students, but was disrupted by the absence of examiners at 146 establishments in the Metropolitan Region, equivalent to 218 courses, mainly vocational. The issue, attributed to the contracted company Infer, also affected isolated cases in Alto Hospicio and Arica. According to Gino Cortez, executive director of the Education Quality Agency, the provider reported at 9 a.m. on the application day that it would not have 100% of evaluators, despite prior assurances.
Education Minister Nicolás Cataldo defended the process, noting a 97.5% implementation rate on the first day, higher than two of the last four years, with only 156 of 6,030 national establishments needing rescheduling, fewer than the 162 from the previous year. "We are not facing a crisis," Cataldo emphasized, warning against politicizing the issue and recalling that the Agency has handled evaluations for 12 years under Ministry oversight.
Cortez expressed regret for the inconvenience to affected families and children but clarified it represents 2.4% of the total, within the usual 2-3% annual rate. Rescheduling for over 50% of cases will occur within two weeks, with maximum sanctions on Infer starting at 200 million pesos and collection of guarantee bonds, without fiscal detriment. Contract termination is not ruled out but completing the Reading, Communication, and History tests on October 23 is prioritized, which proceeded normally under reinforced supervision. A summary investigation will determine responsibilities.
In a letter to the editor, Roberto Bravo of Líderes Escolares criticized the double standard: "If a school had failed to apply the Simce, the scandal would be enormous," contrasting with the state's "logistical problem," and warned that the real scandal is a system that measures without learning.
