In the last CRUCH session: Debate on the FES enters the definition stage

27/10/2025
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With the presence of the Minister of Education and the Undersecretary of Higher Education, CRUCH stated that concrete answers are required from the Government so that each institution can decide whether or not to support the new financing system.

In the last session of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV) last Thursday, October 23, the discussion focused on the proposals of the academic-strategic document that the Executive Committee of the Council delivered to the Ministry of Education a few weeks ago.

During the first part of the meeting, Emilio Rodríguez, Executive Vice President of CRUCH and Rector of the University of Tarapacá, indicated that the document incorporates proposals from the 30 CRUCH universities with the aim of refining the draft law (PDL) that establishes a new public funding mechanism for higher education (FES). In this regard, Rodríguez praised the collaborative effort and emphasized that “our role is to contribute to the design of public policy. Thus, with the delivery of this document, CRUCH's academic work concludes.”.

Regarding the Council's position, Rector Rodríguez emphasized that “we understand that the State-Guaranteed Student Loan is unsustainable and that its extension will cause significant harm to the country each year. Nevertheless, the Higher Education Fund (FES) requires improvements that we consider substantial, and therefore, thanks to the outstanding work of Rectors Torres (UTalca) and Mellado (UCSC), along with the Economic Commission, progress has been made on a comprehensive, long-term proposal. This proposal has sought to incorporate the contributions of all CRUCH universities and has as its strategic goal the development of Chilean Higher Education, beyond the legitimate positions of each individual university.”.

Dialogue with the Ministry of Education

Around midday, the Minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo, and the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Víctor Orellana, joined the meeting and presented their initial responses to the CRUCH's proposals. Both officials acknowledged significant progress regarding the current project, which was welcomed by the university presidents.

However, in order for each institution to issue a definitive statement, the rectors asked the Minister of Education to clarify a series of essential aspects.

“To move forward in other areas, concrete answers from the government are needed regarding the issues raised. With these answers, each institution can assess whether they are sufficient and reasonable to support or not support the new financing system,” stated Rector Rodríguez.

Institutional achievements

During the plenary session, the rector of PUCV, Nelson Vásquez, presented the achievements and challenges of his institution. His presentation was met with applause from the community of rectors, who recognized the quality of the presentation and the high level of excellence achieved by the university.