The need to create a government agency to apply the law against profits in higher education

Education is the enginee that moves a country and also allows a good development of a country. For that reason the state shall provide to the whole country the necessary tools to support the needs of the education. Within these tools the state has to provide a good quality of education, an equal education to all and the creation of a government agency to apply the law against profit in higher education. But, is it a reality in our country?

Since 2006 there have had many strikes and protest, demanding new solutions to the actual problem that affect the education in general. Quality is at the heart of education and what takes place in classrooms and other learning environments is fundamentally important to the future well-being of children, young people and adults. A quality education is one that satisfies basic learning needs. Because of this the state is the responsible to provide the exercise of this right.

Have students the possibility to study whatever they want? In fact, students can’t study whatever they want. The constitution guarantees to parents the free will to choose a school for their children, but not the right to choose what they really want or need. Private schools are expensive, thereby limiting access to quality education for students from a low socio-economic background.

According to a report conducted by a special investigation committee, eight universities violated anti-profiteering laws amidst findings of increased salaries. One of them was “Universidad del mar” that was closed for financial reason and the students are still waiting for real solutions. Although profiting from educational activities is illegal in Chile, the owners of many private institutions violated the spirit of the law. As a result, large sums of money went from the pockets of popular and middle-class families to those of increasingly richer educational businessmen.

Chile caught the attention of the world for an unprecedented wave of social protest against the government and the state of its educational system. The current Chilean student movement represents just an example of a broader mobilization against three things, an equal education for all, a good quality of education and the application of laws against profit in higher education. Although mobilizations continue but have decreased in intensity compared to one year before, the movement has already changed many people’s conception about how the educational system should work and the importance of the government in this fact.

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