News
The executive vice president of the Council of Rectors and Rectors, Osvaldo Corrales, presented the main proposals of the CRUCH to the Citizen Security Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, warning that the initiative restricts access to educational benefits without evidence that this contributes to preventing acts of violence.
The executive vice president of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and rector of the University of Valparaíso, Osvaldo Corrales, presented this Wednesday, August 5, before the Citizen Security Commission of the Chamber of Deputies the Council's proposals regarding the bill that creates the Registry of Vandalism and Incivilities (Bulletin No. 18.341-25), an initiative that is currently in its first constitutional stage.
During his address, Corrales explained that for CRUCH, public safety is a legitimate objective that must be protected by the State. However, he maintained that safety and the right to education are not opposing objectives, but rather complementary ones. Therefore, measures aimed at preventing violence should target the behaviors that are intended to be punished, avoiding disproportionate restrictions on the exercise of the right to education.
«As the Council of Rectors, we have come to present the position we have agreed upon regarding this project, which, in short, is that there is no international evidence to suggest that limiting the right to education helps prevent vandalism or incivility. On the contrary, the evidence is that education aids in the process of social reintegration. That is the position we have agreed upon as a Council,» he stated.
The rector added, “We have also noted that the bill contains numerous inaccuracies from a legislative drafting standpoint. For example, it holds universities responsible for imposing sanctions, such as the loss of tuition-free education, when in fact it is not the universities that provide this benefit, but the Ministry of Education. It is a centrally administered benefit, and therefore, it is not within our purview to adopt such a measure. It is also unclear what happens to the debt that may be incurred by a student who loses tuition-free education. Similarly, the bill stipulates that academics registered in this system would not be eligible for research projects, but it does not define the scope of this restriction or its effects,» explained the CRUCH vice president.
In short, “we have pointed out that the bill contains some inaccuracies and transfers responsibilities to the university that do not belong to them and that the law attributes to other public bodies,” Corrales stated.
Observations and proposals from CRUCH
According to the CRUCH's proposals, if the restrictions are maintained, they must be expressly regulated by law, in order to ensure a proportional response, safeguard public safety, and protect the right to education as a tool for equality and social reintegration.
Finally, CRUCH proposed eliminating the provisions that restrict access to educational benefits (such as free tuition, scholarships, student subsidies, National Card) and research funds based solely on registration in the Registry, arguing that State measures should focus on sanctions directly linked to the conduct committed.
Text: CRUCH Communications
Photo: UV Rector's Office Press
Spanish 
English