Rector Víctor Pérez: "Dialogue and participation are a fundamental axis for the development of Higher Education"«

This event took place in the National Congress building and was very well received by the attendees.

«"Dialogue and participation are a fundamental axis for the development of Higher Education and the spirit of academic life is reflected in this call, of which we are very satisfied," said the executive vice president of the Council and rector of the University of Chile, Víctor Pérez.

«The nation’s structural challenges require the capabilities of the higher education system to achieve the training of individuals and the generation of scientific, technical, and artistic goods necessary for the country’s development (…) A debate is needed with a clear, realistic, and comprehensive vision of the system’s potential contributions, with the rich diversity it has and can project, avoiding confining it to a very restrictive field, delimited only by mere private interests that lose sight of the general common good of the country, and in which the issue of public funding takes on special importance,» Rector Pérez stated in his inaugural address.

Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former president of Chile, inaugurated the presentations of this day, with his presentation entitled "Higher Education and the challenges of Chile in the current context.".

In it, Lagos reviewed the university and higher education system from a historical and developmental perspective in Chile, focusing on three key points: profit, state control over the university system, and funding. "Let's be frank: today we have a system with for-profit universities, and this needs to be addressed. It's unacceptable for a country like Chile not to have this debate openly." He also stated that for-profit institutions should not receive state funding.

In her presentation, she addressed the state's contribution to universities, noting that while 2.11% of GDP is invested in higher education, only 0.3% of that comes from the public sector, "which, according to the OECD, is the lowest figure of any country in this range." In closing, she called for a "serious and non-demagogic" debate while simultaneously advocating for strengthening postgraduate studies and research.

Lagos' presentation was followed by the presentation of the English expert Michael L. Shattock, who in his talk "Government and regulatory structures in the higher education system" referred mainly to the impact of universities and higher education on the economy and the creative intensity of the cities and regions in which they are located, as well as the transformation of the relationship between the state and universities.

Meanwhile, the rector of Alberto Hurtado University, Fernando Montes, stated that "I believe that the call by the Council of Rectors for the Higher Education Conference is one of the most promising developments in recent times for Chilean education.".

The day continued with the development of 3 panels, in which the presence of both rectors of Council Universities and invited Institutions stood out.

Thus, the Universities of Santiago and Finis Terrae joined together in the presentation "Requirements in the field of higher education governance for modern management"; the University of Antofagasta did the same with Inacap in the panel "Contributions of the higher education system to the regional development of Chile", while the University of Concepción and the Alberto Hurtado University developed the presentation: "Contribution of science and technology to the development of the country".

The conference concludes today at 7:00 p.m.