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With great enthusiasm, representatives of the Children's and Youth Advisory Councils Adolescents (CCNNA) from various communes They valued the implementation of the first CRUCH quota for youth leaders, highlighting that this measure recognizes relevant skills that standardized tests fail to capture.
The agreement that creates the new admission pathway was symbolically signed by the Undersecretary for Children, Verónica Silva, and the Rector of the University of O'Higgins, Fernanda Kri, representing the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities.
“This is great news for us. I’m very motivated to know that all the work and activities we do as advisors throughout the country will be recognized,” he said. Florencia Quezada, member of the Maipú Advisory Council and one of the four students who participated this Monday, January 26, in the symbolic signing ceremony of the agreement between the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and the Undersecretariat of Childhood that creates the first CRUCH quota for “Youth Participation and Leadership».
For their part, Genesis Soto, member of the Huechuraba Advisory Council, She noted that “I’m very excited, because the PAES (Higher Education Admission Test) doesn’t recognize all types of intelligence. For us young people, it’s a great achievement to have this motivation, to say that this helped me in the future, and to encourage other young people to join the advisory councils.”. Sofía Meza, from the Conchalí Advisory Council, He emphasized that “The PAES exam doesn’t define you as a person, it only defines the day you go and take it, and ultimately that puts pressure on you, it makes you nervous. So, for me, this is very good; knowing that this exists is a relief for me.”.
Meanwhile, Maximiliano Valenzuela, from the Melipilla Advisory Council, added that “It's spectacular, it benefits all of us. It's a huge opportunity, and we're very grateful.”.
This new special admission pathway to higher education, aimed at high school students who have graduated in the last three years and actively participated, for at least one year, in the Consultative Councils of Girls, Boys and Adolescents (CCNNA), aims to value the civic commitment and social talent of young people.
The Secretary General of the CRUCH, Angélica Bosch, emphasized that “this new quota is unprecedented. It is the first time that the CRUCH has reached a cross-party agreement to create a special admissions quota, which demonstrates the importance this Council places on youth participation and the recognition of diverse educational paths in accessing higher education.” She also recalled that its creation was unanimously approved at the last plenary session of university presidents on January 8.
A milestone for youth participation and democracy
Through the agreement, symbolically signed between the Undersecretary for Children, Verónica Silva, and the rector of the University of O'Higgins, Fernanda Kri, the collaboration that will allow the Council's universities to receive students starting with the 2027 Admission Process was formally launched. The ceremony, which took place at the CRUCH General Secretariat, was also attended by the territorial managers of the Consultative Councils, the Undersecretary for Children's team, and professionals from the CRUCH General Secretariat.
The Undersecretary for Children, Verónica Silva, acknowledged the participation of the council members in the creation of this new agreement. “Part of our strategy was to talk with council members from all over the country to begin defining the requirements that had to be considered to obtain this quota (…) This demonstrates the responsibility these young people have when providing recommendations and comments that not only benefit themselves.”.
Meanwhile, Rector Kri stated that “at all the universities in the Council, we believe in democracy, we believe in young leadership, we believe in the connection with the local community, and that's what we have in common.” In that regard, she added that “seeing the leadership, the participation, the connection to the local community, and the respect for democracy that you bring will allow your colleagues to learn from that as well. And so we believe it's a formula where everyone wins.”.
He also stated that this new admissions pathway promotes diversity in universities. “In any discipline, we are looking for solutions to complex problems. Having diverse people seeking solutions will lead to better solutions to those problems (…) So, generating these dynamics within our universities will be very positive,” he said.
So, “this is a quota that makes sense (…) so we hope that this will move forward very quickly and that by 2027 we will have the first admissions to the different programs,” concluded Rector Kri, who participated in the efforts to finalize the agreement.
Implementation and requirements
This year, a technical committee comprised of representatives from both organizations will work on operationalizing the agreement, defining the certification and monitoring mechanisms. Universities that choose to participate will be able to sign specific agreements and define the degree programs and enrollment limits in each.
The Undersecretariat for Children will be in charge of a national and standardized process of certification of participation and leadership trajectories in the Advisory Councils, enabling interested parties to apply.
It is important to note that this route does not replace the general requirements of the system, so applicants must take the access tests (PAES) and meet the minimum application score.
Text: CRUCH Communications, with contributions from the Communications Department of the Undersecretariat for Children.
Photos: CRUCH Communications
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