50 CultureShock! Chile
Education
Although Chile has a very high literacy rate, the quality of
education provided by private schools is much higher than
that offered by public schools, especially those in low-income
areas. The result is a large sector of the population with few
real skills who wind up either unemployed or underemployed.
An educational reform was initiated in 1990. Among other
changes, it guaranteed 12 years free schooling for all Chileans,
moved towards a full school day for all students and aimed to
improve the quality of and equality in education in Chile.
In 2006, Chile witnessed mass protests the likes of which
it had not seen since the political turmoil of the Allende
and Pinochet years. Led by high school students, hundreds
of thousands of public and private school students joined
together to demand, among other things, higher quality
public education and lower costs for students. The students,
referred to as pingüinos because they looked like penguins
in their school uniforms, received much support throughout
Chile and garnered worldwide media attention. Educational
reform remains a hot-button issue and a challenge for the
government.