Chilean Education Transformation: Key Reforms (1920s-1930s)
Chilean Education Reforms: 1920s-1930s
This document outlines significant educational reforms and the national situation in Chile during the 1920s and 1930s, highlighting key initiatives and their impact.
National Educational Landscape in 1931
- Child population: 781,376.
- School population: 452,208.
- Only 2% completed primary education (6 years).
- 73% completed only the first 3 years (out of a mandatory 4).
- 16% reached the 4th grade.
Further challenges included:
- Elementary Schools: 11% of schools in the country were affiliated with colleges.
- Teachers: 40.77% were unqualified.
- Local Schools: 67% operated in leased premises, many of which were unsanitary.
Juan Antonio Ríos and Educational Innovation
Under the government of Juan Antonio Ríos, the Experimental School of Popular Culture was created, aimed at systematizing non-traditional educational approaches. Key proposals of this administration included:
- Improving public health.
- Raising cultural levels through primary school enrichment.
- Enhancing arts and crafts production capacity.
- Fostering new forms of social coexistence.
The experimental movement during this period took two main directions:
- Pilot Educational Areas: Each region developed a distinguishing feature.
- Consolidated Schools.
Experimental Educational Areas
These initiatives aimed at preventing rural-to-urban migration and retaining the local workforce.
San Carlos Plan: Primary Education Reform
Initiated by Víctor Troncoso, this plan involved a series of primary education investigations in San Carlos, leading to the creation and implementation of the experimental area. It stands as one of the most daring and well-designed initiatives in national education history.
Agricultural Plan: Rural Education Integration
The Agricultural Plan, based on the San Carlos model, involved establishing a rural normal school (San Fabián de Alico) where agricultural production techniques were integrated into the curriculum.
Arica Plan: Mining-Focused Education
Focused on mining, this plan survived until 1971 and was developed using the same framework as the San Carlos Plan. The strong educational and economic ties fostered by these plans became increasingly integrated into national educational programs.
Core Characteristics of Educational Reform
- Democratic, secular, and pluralistic education.
- Aimed to overcome social differences by providing equal educational opportunities.
- Embraced the ‘workshop’ concept, emphasizing ‘learning by doing’ in response to technological advancements.
All of the above necessitated changes in educational criteria, leading to a rethinking of school typologies.
Secondary Education Reforms of 1928
- It offered personalized education. The objective was to guide students toward areas where they demonstrated greater aptitude.
- Combined theoretical and practical study.
- Structured into 3 common years followed by 3 years with parallel sections in humanities, science, and technology.
This structure began to shape a middle-level workforce, with graduates receiving a title that enabled direct entry into the labor market. However, this entire reform effort collapsed after 1929, leading to the issuance of:
Decree Law No. 5291: Repealing the 1928 Law
This decree established the final text of the 1920 law on compulsory primary education, which stipulated:
- Free and compulsory primary education.
- School age: 7 to 15 years, extended to 16 if the student is employed.
The Ibáñez Experimental Movement (Pre-1928)
Founded on the approaches of John Dewey in the U.S., the Ibáñez Experimental Movement encompassed both primary and secondary education. Recognizing that previous models were often copied from abroad, this movement aimed to design an indigenous educational model, fostering a practical approach to education with the goal of achieving higher quality.
This established an analytical base that would serve as a theoretical foundation for future educational experiments. The movement was suspended in 1931 due to the Great Depression’s impact but reappeared under Popular Front governments.