Original article: «Impresentable»: Profesores en picada contra eliminación de programas de Educación propuestos por el ministro de Hacienda Teachers Condemn Elimination of Educational Programs Proposed by Finance Minister as «Unacceptable» The president of the Teachers’ College, Mario Aguilar, called the memo sent by Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz «unacceptable,» as it instructs various ministries and public services, including Education, to cut social programs that significantly impact the community. Aguilar stated that this move «contradicts everything President Kast promised during the campaign and shows that he has been dishonest, as he claimed that social programs would not be cut or affected but is doing the exact opposite now. » «The School Feeding Program (PAE), which provides many children and adolescents with their most complete meal of the day, is at risk of being eliminated,» Aguilar warned.
He went on to question, «While President Kast invites his friends to lavish public-funded lunches at La Moneda, he is attempting to take away food from children in schools. » Furthermore, the union leader highlighted the potential termination of the Teacher Vocational Scholarship in a country where there is currently and is projected to be a shortage of teachers. This scholarship was created during the first Piñera administration to attract talented students to study pedagogy.
«There is also a plan to eliminate the Public Education Assistance Fund, which we find unacceptable. This fund has allowed many municipalities to survive, along with local services, despite facing significant deficits to meet their educational obligations,» emphasized Aguilar. In conclusion, the Teachers’ College president reiterated, «We have stated that education requires more resources, not less; especially when these cuts will mean the end of programs that will severely impact children and adolescents in our country.
» «This demonstrates enormous insensitivity, and I urge President Kast and Minister Quiroz to abandon this measure, as it will cause significant harm to children and adolescents,» Aguilar concluded. What Does the Memo Say? On Friday, April 24, various national media reported on a memo sent by Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz to all ministries in the Kast government, informing them about the process of «budget reorganization.
» In the case of the Ministry of Education, the media outlet Contrapoder revealed that Minister Quiroz recommended discontinuing the School Feeding Program, which is part of Junaeb, due to the budget allocation for 2025. However, this is not the only program recommended for elimination: the same applies to the Teacher Support Scholarship, the Transitional-Seasonal Nursery, the School Reintegration Program, the Strengthening Plan for the Development of Arts in the Educational System, and various other school subsidies. Read the full article from Contrapoder HERE We will continue to provide updates.