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The executive vice president of the Council of Rectors, Emilio Rodríguez, welcomed the Joint Commission's decision to postpone the implementation of the new admission requirements for teacher training programs for one year. Meanwhile, the rector of UAndes, José Antonio Guzmán, stated that "the underlying issue needs to be addressed urgently, but the consequences of not postponing the deadline would have been serious for many universities.".
Through a working committee, led by the rector of UMCE, Elisa Araya; the rector of PUCV, Nelson Vásquez; and the rector of UPLA, Carlos González; CRUCH will contribute to the Undersecretariat of Higher Education with proposals and recommendations for the bill that will be presented in March 2025.
“As the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities, we are very grateful to the Chamber of Deputies and the Joint Committee, who approved a further extension. This decision was vital, because otherwise it would have harmed the training of teachers in every region of the country,” stated the Executive Vice President of CRUCH and Rector of the University of Tarapacá, Emilio Rodríguez, with respect to the decision to maintain until 2026 the current requirements for entering Pedagogy careers.
According to various rectors of the CRUCH, the decision to postpone the entry into force of article 27 bis of Law 20.129 – approved on Wednesday, December 18, within the framework of the public sector readjustment project – allows mitigating the negative effects derived from the implementation of the new requirements for entry into the pedagogy careers contemplated in Law 20.903, which creates the Teacher Professional Development System and modifies other regulations.
The Rector of the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE), Elisa Araya, He commented that the decision of the joint commission "leaves us at ease, but also challenges us to continue reflecting and proposing an admission system for this important career, one that values those factors that truly allow us to have the best teachers in Chilean classrooms.".
For his part, the Rector of the University of Los Andes (UAndes), José Antonio Guzmán, He pointed out that “This is good news. The commission has acted prudently. It is true that this postponement is a temporary solution and that the underlying issue needs to be addressed urgently, but the consequences of not postponing would have been serious for many universities.
Meanwhile, the Rector of the University of Playa Ancha (UPLA), Carlos González, He argued that “we already have a shortage of teachers, and under these conditions, we certainly won't have enough teachers in the coming years. Therefore, the fact that they have opened themselves up to the possibility of rethinking this policy seems fantastic to us. For this reason, it is important to acknowledge the senators and representatives who were willing to postpone its implementation, as it was a complex discussion. In this regard, I believe the communication they have had with the universities was essential and allowed us to achieve this result.”.
CRUCH Commitment
The extension of the new admission requirements for teacher training programs was made possible by a protocol agreement stipulating that the Executive Branch will present “a bill to update the requirements for the Pedagogy degree, which will incorporate measures to attract teaching talent. This will be expedited. However, if said bill is not in effect for the 2026 admissions cycle, the extension of the requirements established in the law that creates the professional teaching system cannot take effect.”.
In this new scenario, CRUCH committed to actively participating with the Undersecretariat of Higher Education in the process of drafting the bill committed to by March 2025.
“We consider this a vote of confidence in Chilean universities, which, of course, deeply commits us to participate substantively in drafting a bill. Now, without a doubt, we must develop legislation with a long-term perspective, one that addresses the national reality, considers the diversity of the regions, and, of course, the requirements for Chile's successful integration into a digital society where artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly prevalent,” stated the executive vice president of CRUCH.
In this regard, Rector Guzmán stated, “We want those studying pedagogy to have the skills to be excellent teachers, but at the same time, we need a sufficient number of candidates. The projected teacher shortage for the coming years is very alarming. Universities must contribute in both of these areas: adequate training and a sufficient number of professors.”.
Through a CRUCH working committee, led by Rector González, Rector Araya and the Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUCV), Nelson Vásquez, proposals and recommendations will be formulated to update the requirements for access to Pedagogy careers and to consider measures for attracting talent.
Sense of urgency
Regarding the deadlines defined in the protocol, the rector of UPLA emphasized that “we can’t wait here” and added that “we have to build it together—the project—and for that, we have all our willingness, our capabilities, and the teams that, of course, are needed to help. I think this is good news for the Undersecretariat of Higher Education, in the sense of having academics available to collaborate, to help, and to create new processes and procedures that make sense for the development of the teaching vocation.”.
From Rector Araya's perspective, in this process "it is very important to consider the complexity of what it means to train as a teacher and the country's need to attract more young people to this rewarding profession, as well as the best ways to provide them with a quality education." For example, the excessive demands of the various evaluations and the over-regulation of teacher training programs should be reviewed, "which creates stress on the system that, to this day, has not proven to yield significant results," the rector states.
It is worth remembering that the Council has worked intensively in recent years to contribute to strengthening teacher training, as detailed in the report. “Teaching Changes Lives”, delivered to the Ministry of Education in March 2024. This document identifies 24 critical issues in the initial and ongoing training of teachers and proposes concrete actions, including greater flexibility in admission to teaching programs, considering the current context of teacher shortages; and the strengthening of inclusive access programs to attract young people with a vocation, especially in vulnerable territories.
Text: CRUCH Communications
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