The rector of the University of Chile, Alejandra Mizala, warned that the 2027 Budget Law includes a reduction in funding for the Department of Educational Evaluation, Measurement and Registration (Demre), according to T13. That body administers the Higher Education Access Test (PAES) nationwide.
Mizala issued the warning in a conversation with T13 En Vivo. She said the reduction in higher education funding proposed in the bill could affect several services that universities, especially public universities, provide to the country.
Demre is part of the University of Chile, but designs and administers the PAES, the test taken each year by applicants to universities in the admissions system. "There is a reduction in Demre's funding," the rector acknowledged.
According to her account, the government has another explanation. The Undersecretariat of Higher Education told her that the difference stems from installments under an existing agreement. That agreement covers the administration of the winter and summer tests and spans more than a year.
"I hope it is a misunderstanding," said Mizala, who said she had great confidence that the issue would be resolved in talks with the undersecretariat. The T13 report does not include a direct statement from the government.
The rector added that the problem extends beyond Demre. The contributions facing cuts fund university operations as well as research. She also said state universities have "obligations" to the public that would be affected.
Mizala specifically mentioned activities of national interest, a budget line that she said had suffered a substantial cut. She did not provide specific amounts for that item.
The bill submitted to Congress by President José Antonio Kast's government includes 36 billion pesos less for universities belonging to the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCh). The budget debate will now continue through the legislative process.
