The inequalities of Chilean education
22-year-old trainee teacher Anita Serrano Bazán writes about the shortcomings of the Chilean education system. (Courtesy of Anita Serrano Bazán)
22-year-old trainee teacher Anita Serrano Bazán writes about the shortcomings of the Chilean education system.
Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to become a teacher. Currently, I am finishing my university degree to become a teacher at the end of this year. During the course of my studies, I have had the privilege of working in Chilean public schools with elementary school students, teaching them to read and write. I want to provide my students with the same experience that my elementary school teachers gave to me: a quality education based in empathy and love.
However, the last few years working as an online teacher due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made it clear that there are problems in the Chilean education system that no teacher can solve alone. Throughout Chile, socioeconomic inequality, technological gaps and gender discrimination — which the pandemic exacerbated — are cutting off access to education and causing students to drop out of school.
“In my time working and studying in Chilean schools, I have observed that teachers tend to reserve the most challenging math and science activities for boys, which discourages girls from seeking leadership roles in these fields.”
Students in the Chilean education system are negatively affected by gender inequality, which pervades teaching practices and curriculums in our country. Due to teachers’ biases, girls are less cognitively stimulated than boys in schools, especially in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. In my time working and studying in Chilean schools, I have observed that teachers tend to reserve the most challenging math and science activities for boys, which discourages girls from seeking leadership roles in these fields. Indeed, Chilean women are underrepresented among STEM graduates and professionals — only one in three researchers in Chile are women.
Apart from gender, it is well-known that the quality of the education students receive in Chile depends on their socioeconomic status and whether they can afford a private education. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, tuition fees for public schools in Chile are among the highest in the world, a cost only six out of 10 Chilean families are able to pay. Due to a gap in education quality, these students have far better outcomes than their peers; in 2018, only 30% of public school students who took the University Selection Test (PSU) got a high enough score to apply to college (compared to 79% of private school students).
The mass shift to online learning during the COVID-19 crisis has deepened this inequality. Though internet access in Chilean households has increased in recent years, many homes have fragile, unstable and poor quality internet access, which has made it difficult for students and teachers to conduct classes online during the pandemic. A 2021 survey found 73% of Chileans had difficulties using online education and other virtual services during the pandemic, and a digital divide exists between urban and rural areas, with almost 60% of people in Chile’s rural areas lacking access to the internet.
Teaching online during the pandemic, I witnessed that most of my students had no internet connection. Therefore, classes were held over the phone, which made it very difficult to teach. This situation made me reflect on the need for the Chilean government to provide schools with the funding they need to generate activities that are accessible to all students and families, including activities that do not require technology to function. It is impossible to continue asking families for resources that they cannot afford. Having or not having access to technology should not determine the quality of education that students receive.
“It is impossible to continue asking families for resources that they cannot afford. Having or not having access to technology should not determine the quality of education that students receive.”
Before the pandemic, school dropout rates in Chile were on the decline due to a series of political actions such as curricular prioritization, the development of online educational platforms and educational channels such as “TV Educa.” However, this problem resurfaced during the COVID-19 crisis; in 2020, 186,000 students between the ages of 5 and 21 were forced to drop out of school for various reasons, including lack of access to technology and the internet and the economic crisis’s impact on families. Due to the consequences of the ongoing crisis, almost 40,000 students did not enroll in any educational establishment in 2021.
These inequalities are latent in the Chilean reality, and it is imperative we deal with them. Over the past decade, student-led protests have successfully pressured the Chilean government into introducing education reforms aimed at raising student learning and reducing inequality. However, these measures are not enough. Beyond increasing teacher training, which is obviously essential, it is necessary to make changes to our system that will deliver quality public education to students in Chile who cannot afford private school fees, and effectively anticipate and prevent students from having to drop out of school for any reason. As part of these reforms, our leaders must provide students with the technological implements and internet access they need to access remote learning in times of crisis.
For teachers, it is also crucial to generate inclusive lesson plans with equal opportunities for boys and girls to participate, as well as to use literary resources or research written and carried out by women to make exams and in-class activities. Ensuring gender-equitable education is important to me as a teacher, not only so that all my students acquire the knowledge they need to succeed in the world, but also to promote a fairer and more equitable future for Chile.
Finally, our education system must be one that equally prepares girls and boys to enter the fields of the future with social, emotional and cognitive skills. That is the education system I want to see in my country, for which I study and work every day, giving my best.
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