Statement
Public
Given the serious situation of the paralysis of academic activities and, in some cases, the occupation of buildings that most of our universities are experiencing, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities considers it our duty to point out the following to the public:
1. The rectors of the CRUCH universities have maintained an ongoing dialogue with student organizations since 2011. Therefore, we are aware that the progress made since then is still far from the goals our university communities have set for themselves.
2. In any case, it is undeniable that we have made progress in placing these issues on the national agenda, and thanks to this, they are now part of the public debate in a crucial election year, giving substance and depth to the political process. This is a victory for the social movement for education and for our institutions, and it should lead us to assume with the utmost responsibility the tasks that still remain in favor of a genuine defense of public education.
3. Public universities are the institutions primarily responsible for preserving and promoting respect for the democratic principles of civic life. Without these ethical convictions, undoubtedly present in our communities, the social legitimacy of our ideals for an education that serves the common good and enjoys the support of a broad majority of citizens is jeopardized. Consequently, the use of unilateral imposition or force as means to impede the right to work and study constitutes a practice contrary to these fundamental civic principles.
4. It is also evident that such actions divide our institutions, disrupt the educational process of thousands of students, and seriously damage our universities, making them more vulnerable to the self-serving attacks to which they are often subjected. Therefore, when protests take the form of strikes and occupations that lack proper coordination with the respective university communities, instead responding to diffuse interests or disputes among them, what is actually happening is a weakening of our institutions and, consequently, of all public higher education.
5. We therefore call upon students, their families, and the communities that comprise our universities to rebuild spaces for dialogue and reflection that will allow us to restore academic activities and full institutional normalcy as soon as possible, guaranteeing an atmosphere of freedom and participation through respectful and enriching dialogue that honors Chile's most valuable university tradition. It is up to us to ensure that, in the future, public universities continue to be the benchmark for higher education in the country, capable of influencing the educational policy decisions that must be made.
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