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The executive vice president of CRUCH, Aldo Valle, explained that the study houses are working internally to reschedule the closing of the second semester of the 2019 academic year.
Regarding the admission process, the rector Valle ratified that the PSUs will be given on January 6 and 7, 2020 and reiterated that the change of date seeks to “give the greatest guarantee so that applicants can take this test in a climate of greater certainty and confidence ”.
"All of our universities are in a situation of reprogramming academic calendars," explained the executive vice president of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), Aldo Valle, regarding the current situation of the 29 institutions that make up the group.
This topic was addressed in session No. 609 of the Council of Rectors, which was held at the Vitacura Campus of the Federico Santa María Technical University, in Santiago. On the occasion, the rector Valle explained that "most of the universities do not have undergraduate teaching," so the houses of study are rescheduling the closing of the second semester of the 2019 academic year.
“To the extent that the enrollment programs for the first year will be held in the first half of March, it will allow the enrollment of former students to be deferred as well. Consequently, there is a margin in March to close the teaching or evaluative processes of the second semester, ”said Valle.
Along the same lines, the CRUCH authority indicated that “what is in operation in the case of training in the Health area, which is carried out in clinical campuses, because there are obligations regarding health services. Also the postgraduate programs, which are sometimes partially altered by unforeseen situations such as locomotion or the conditions to access university campuses ”.
2020 Admission Process Calendar
In the November session, the Council ratified the new dates for the surrender of the University Selection Tests (PSU), which will take place on January 6 and 7, 2020, as announced on November 14.
In this regard, Rector Valle reiterated the criteria considered by the CRUCH, the Ministry of Education and the Department of Educational Evaluation, Measurement and Registration (DEMRE) of the University of Chile to postpone the administration of the tests.
“We have always stated that we want to provide the greatest possible guarantee so that applicants can take the PSU in an atmosphere of greater certainty and confidence,” said the executive vice president of CRUCH. Valle explained that “all the logistical arrangements are already in place and fully consolidated, so there will be no changes to the PSU testing dates. The test will be administered at more than 650 testing centers, and thousands of students are already registered and preparing to take it.”.
The rector of the University of Valparaíso added that the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), through the Unified Admission System (SUA), in conjunction with the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and the Department of Measurement, Evaluation and Educational Records (DEMRE), is evaluating the release date for PSU scores and the application period for the 41 institutions participating in the SUA. “We are discussing aligning the release of results with institutional processes, to address the needs of universities with their academic calendars, and to reconcile their operations with the security and reliability with which we must deliver the results.”.
In this scenario, the authority of the Council of Rectors stated that the registration process for the 2020 academic year will take place during the first half of March.
Position on the use of pellets
In another area, the rector Valle was consulted about the use of pellets by the Carabineros during public demonstrations. In this context, he stated that the Council of Rectors has publicly demanded that the authorities cease the use of these elements and that several university authorities have filed protection appeals in the country's courts of appeal, with the same objective.
The executive vice president of CRUCH stated that “what corresponds, in our opinion, is that the competent authority adopt the measures to ensure that police protocols are legally and reliably complied with; but also that prohibitions be established regarding the use of these pellets in particular, because they have not been effective in controlling public order and because regarding peaceful protest, the role of the police is to contain and dissuade and in no case to attack or punish those who disagree or protest, also making use of a right recognized in the Constitution ".
The November session of the Council of Rectors had the participation of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Hernán Larraín, who spoke before the plenary session on Project + R: Greater Reintegration, Greater Security, through which it seeks to encourage social reintegration of people who have been deprived of liberty. In this sense, the CRUCH and this portfolio will develop an agreement to carry out initiatives in this area, linked to higher education.
Also present was the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Juan Eduardo Vargas, who addressed the application process for MINEDUC Student Benefits and the agreements reached in the 2020 Budget Bill related to higher education. The meeting also included a presentation by Lorena Medina, Dean of Education at the Catholic University of Chile and President of the Council of Deans of Faculties of Education of the National Council of Rectors (CONFAUCE), who analyzed aspects related to teacher training.
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