The president of the Consortium of State Universities, rector Ennio Vivaldi, recalled that the 27 thousand students who will lose free tuition will have to go into debt. The eighteen rectors of the State Universities received with interest the gender equality proposal from the Ministry of Education but they will consult with their communities about the scope of the document.
 
In the monthly session held at the Central House of the University of Chile, the eighteen rectors and rectors of the Consortium of State Universities of Chile, among them the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, addressed the consequences of not having a technical table with the government to address the problems that arise from the loss of free tuition for some 27 thousand students.

In this regard, the president of the Consortium of State Universities, Rector Ennio Vivaldi, recalled that in November 2018 a Protocol was agreed with senators, and the ministries of Education and Finance, to address the problems that were looming with the loss of free of students and the deficit that universities carry.

In this regard, the president of CUECH stated that “closing the door to the conversation about free education is closing the door to universities,” said Rector Ennio Vivaldi.

Meanwhile, the Rector of the University of Santiago, Juan Manuel Zolezzi, described the issue as complex because the State cannot say “that law was made by others, make do as you can” and one of the consequences of not addressing the deficit of free is that the quality will go down, stressed the CUECH treasurer.

For his part, the Rector of the University of Talca, Alvaro Rojas, recalled that “The Laws do not belong to the governments, they belong to the countries and the responsibility of the government is to implement them and when deficiencies are found to correct them and that is what we appeal to. as rectors of state universities” stated the director of CUECH.

Mineduc Gender Proposal

Regarding the Gender Equality proposal presented by the Minister of Education Marcela Cubillos to the 17 rectors of the Higher Education System, the CUECH agreed to look at the ministry's proposal with "interest", but the Rector Ennio Vivaldi clarified that Unlike private universities, it is the communities of the State universities that have made proposals and contributions; Therefore, “as state universities we are going to have a joint position that we are going to send to the government in which we agree that these measures be taken but we think that there are conceptual aspects of gender that have been worked on by our communities that must be considered.”

The president of CUECH specified that the rectors of the State Universities “respond to the communities that have elected us” and stressed that there is no reason to justify injustices towards women other than the social factors that perpetuate this injustice; “If we are not able to point that out in a document, we are almost more accomplices than solvers of the problem of inequality,” said Rector Ennio Vivaldi.

In the case of the eighteen universities of the State, gender strengthening plans and framework agreements have already been established; gender directions, anti-discrimination policies, nursery facilities and public kindergartens on campus for students and mothers. There is also progress in the recognition of the social name of trans people.

It is worth remembering that recently it has been possible to increase the participation of women in the student body, even in scientific careers in which men have traditionally predominated, according to the “Gender Gap Report in Higher Education” carried out by the Information System of the MINEDUC. The report establishes that State universities have systematically developed efforts seeking to reverse the negative gap in women enrolled, which in 2014 was -1,9%, with total enrollment reaching 2018% in 3,2 in favor of women.  

Written by CUECH Press