Barriers to Equitable Access: Higher Education Policy and Practice in Chile Since 1990
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Barriers to Equitable Access: Higher Education Policy and Practice in Chile Since 1990 Ann Matear School of Languages and Area Studies, University of Portsmouth, Park Building, King Henry I Street, Portsmouth P01 2BZ, UK. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
This paper examines higher education policy in Chile after the return to democracy in 1990 from an equity perspective. Chile faces the challenge of implementing equity-oriented policies within the legal confines of an education system constructed under the neoliberal model and introduced by the military government (1973–1990). This has resulted in tensions between policy and practice, which have constrained the role of the state in a highly market-oriented system, in its efforts to promote equitable access to higher education. The principal barriers to access are found in institutional funding arrangements, the admissions process and the quality of education at secondary level. Higher Education Policy (2006) 19, 31–49. doi:10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300114 Keywords: equity; comparative education; educational policy; higher education; Chile
Introduction Since the return to democracy in 1990, Chile has frequently been highlighted as a case study for education reforms because of its endeavours to reconcile the operation of a market in public services, with a concern for equity and social justice within a modern state (Cox, 1996; Brunner, 1997; Navarro and Corvala´n, 2002; Schiefelbein and Schiefelbein, 2002). Successive governments have taken the view that access to higher education should be dependent solely on academic criteria and that no individual or social group should be excluded from higher education for reasons of social class, gender, race or ethnicity. Government policy has prioritized addressing the needs of low-income students who have achieved the necessary qualifications for entry to higher education but who are prevented from progressing owing to financial reasons. Supported by the World Bank, efforts have centred on removing the financial barriers to access for low-income students by reforming the student loans and scholarship system, and significant improvements made in student funding will benefit students in the immediate future. Policy developments have focused on improving the quality of primary and secondary education, and raising levels
Ann Matear Higher Education Policy and Practice in Chile Since 1990
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of attainment in compulsory education through increased investment and specifically targeted resources. Again, progress has been made on improving retention and achievement among the poorest pupils yet, for many, a highquality education at primary and secondary levels remains elusive as the gap between the upper- and lower-income groups persists in relation to preparedness for learning, the quality of education received and the levels of student attainment. These structural inequalities impact on access to and participation in higher education, and are evidenced in barriers to equality of access (entry to the system), retenti
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