Chile and Argentina advance controversial education reform bills

Chile Deputy Álvaro Jofré (National Libertarian Party) endorsed a bill that would simplify the creation of new schools, remove obstacles to accreditation and rental of facilities, and expand parental choice in education. He highlighted the Collahuasi Foundation’s public‑school management in Tarapacá as a model of academic excellence and argued the reform is needed to address enrollment shortfalls and growing demand.

In Argentina, President Javier Milei’s government presented a new “Law for Educational Freedom” that seeks to treat education as a market good, reduce state responsibility, and permit homeschooling, virtual instruction and enrollment in foreign institutions. The draft adds 173 articles to replace the existing national education law, emphasizing market‑based freedom and subsidiarity while critics warn it could widen educational inequality.