Chile President Kast advances school admission system overhaul

On Wednesday the Chamber of Deputies began processing a reform to Chile’s school admission system (SAE), a proposal announced by President José Antonio Kast and Education Minister María Paz Arzola. The draft law would keep the centralized application platform and the existing random allocation for schools that do not opt in, but would introduce a voluntary “mutual choice” mechanism for high‑demand establishments. Under this option schools could select a portion of their students based on criteria such as academic performance since seventh grade, alignment with the school’s educational project, territorial proximity and parent interviews.

The government argues that the current lottery “depends excessively on chance when demand exceeds supply” and fails to recognize academic merit. As Minister Arzola put it, “El reconocimiento del mérito constituye una señal y un incentivo muy relevante y, por lo tanto, es una debilidad del actual sistema la baja consideración —prácticamente nula— que tiene hoy día de este”. Critics warn the merit‑based criteria could deepen segregation and stress the need for safeguards for priority and special‑needs students. The reform is undergoing its first constitutional review in the Education Committee.