José Antonio Kast’s government would eliminate funding for the ICT Scholarship, known as "I Choose My PC", in the 2027 Budget, according to BioBioChile. This year, the benefit reached nearly 96 thousand schoolchildren.
The same outlet reports that the reduction in teaching hours could affect between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs. The source does not specify which education levels or regions would bear those cuts.
The adjustments also involve debate over the Local Public Education Services (SLEP), the bodies that replace municipalities in administering public schools. Congress’s Fourth Joint Budget Subcommittee rejected the budget allocation for the Directorate of Public Education and the SLEP budget chapters.
The executive branch also postponed the transfer of schools under six local services, which had been scheduled for January 2027. The report does not include a response from the Ministry of Education (Mineduc) on the reasons for the delay.
Former Education Minister Nicolás Cataldo questioned the government’s lack of clarity. He acknowledged that there had also been delays during his tenure, but maintained that they were based on technical criteria and communicated to Congress and the communities. He also defended the SLEP’s progress in learning, attendance and reengaging students with school.
In Puente Alto, Mayor Matías Toledo criticized Education Minister María Paz Arzola for postponing the transfer of the municipality’s schools to the Los Viñedos SLEP until January 2028. According to Toledo, the municipality has no funds budgeted to continue administering those schools during 2027.
Jaime Retamal, who holds a doctorate in education and is an academic at the University of Santiago, warned that the measure particularly harms the most vulnerable municipalities.
Representing students, Laura Mlynarz, spokesperson for the Confederation of Chilean Students (Confech), questioned the lack of dialogue with the minister and announced that protests against the cuts will continue.
