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By Osvaldo Corrales, Executive Vice President of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH).
Column published on Radio Bío Bío. See here.
Every October 16th, the Teacher's Day It invites us to ask ourselves how we are training the teachers that the country will need in the coming decades and under what conditions they will carry out their professional lives. This question is even more pressing today, when technological transformations are changing the ways we teach and learn, and the school system faces new demands.
This question is especially relevant for CRUCH universities. Our institutions train seven out of every ten university students in education and admit 82.21% of those entering these programs. This responsibility is even greater outside the Metropolitan Region, where this proportion reaches 89.21%, and in six regions, our universities are the only university option for studying education.
Teacher needs are not uniform, nor are disciplines. The universities within the Council account for 97.41% of university enrollment in mathematics teacher training programs, 92.51% in language programs, and all science students. Preserving and strengthening these capacities requires looking beyond aggregated national indicators and considering the characteristics of each region and its connection to school communities.
Recent data reveals significant strengths and also causes for concern. According to records from the Higher Education Information Service (SIES), in 2026, teacher education enrollment at CRUCH universities reached 45,130 students, its highest level since 2020. However, first-year enrollment decreased by 8.81% compared to 2025, and last year's graduation rates were 26.1% lower than the peak recorded in 2023. These trends require ongoing monitoring due to their potential impact on the future availability of teachers.
The concern extends beyond our borders. The report Education at a Glance The OECD's 2026 report indicates that in Chile, 3.61% of public secondary school teaching positions remained vacant at the start of the 2024 school year. It adds that 8.41% of fully qualified primary and secondary school teachers left the profession or changed roles within the public system between 2024 and 2025, compared to an average of 6.41% in countries with available data. Therefore, initial teacher training must be considered in conjunction with the conditions that attract professionals to classrooms and promote their retention.
That was the approach of Teaching Changes Lives, The report presented by CRUCH in 2024, prepared collaboratively by its member universities, identified 18 critical issues and formulated 24 recommendations to strengthen the teaching profession, addressing both initial teacher training and the professional development of those already practicing. Two years later, the available data reinforces the need to continue this work.
One dimension that deserves attention is the diversity of pathways to becoming a teacher. A recent study by the National Council of Deans of Faculties of Education of the CRUCH Universities (CONFAUCE) examined continuing education programs that allow individuals with prior training in other disciplines to obtain pedagogical preparation. These alternatives can respond to specific needs of the school system, provided they adequately recognize previously acquired knowledge and ensure rigorous training linked to educational practice.
Consequently, Chile needs to move towards long-term planning that allows it to anticipate the demand for teachers by specialty and region, taking into account demographic changes and the conditions for remaining in the profession. Universities have the experience and capacity to contribute, but sustained collaboration with the government and the school system is required so that decisions about teacher training respond to the country's real needs.
On this Teacher's Day, recognizing those who teach today also means assuming a responsibility towards future generations. Strengthening teacher training requires continuity and a shared vision of the education we want to build for Chile.
Cover design: Danae Solervicens
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