the clock is ticking and time limits defined for the implementation of the new law N ° 21.091 higher education are shortened. Posted on May 29, 2018, this regulatory framework establishes deadlines for implementation from one to three years for the definition of their regulations and procedures. It is a complex and broad, regulatory body that changes aspects of great importance for institutions of higher education, as its quality assurance system.
The law defines education as a universal right, without arbitrary discrimination. This guarantees through the creation of new bodies, such as the Undersecretary of higher education, with an area for the technical vocational education and another in charge of university education; the Superintendency of higher education; and a system of access to the institutions of higher education.
The latter should establish processes and instruments for the application of students to the institutions, with a single platform managed by the Undersecretary of higher education. It is estimated that this form of admission will be ready for admission 2021, which means it must be carried out by 2020. But since it is a system aimed at a broad user universe, requires that its technology and operation the year 2019 is clearly defined. Unfortunately, so far there is no information about how those decisions it advance.
In the particular case of technical education, the profile of income of students is different from University profile, especially in relation to older age and work experience, differences that the entry system should be considered.
Another very important and complex issue is the definition of the qualifications framework. The law speaks of joint in the educational system, i.e. the involvement of professional technical education with the University system and the needs of the country. This is a sensitive issue for universities that teach technical careers similar to which are delivered in technical and professional institutes.
The transitional provisions of the law, in the fifth article, stated that within the period of one year from the publication of the law (may 2019), the Ministry of education will implement a pilot of framework of qualifications, character reference, associated to the professional technical training. The design of the program should consider the participation of such subsystem higher education institutions, as well as representatives of the public sector, the productive sector, workers and experts. In addition, the Undersecretary of higher education, within a period of three years from the publication of the law, shall deliver to the Minister of education a proposal for framework of qualifications, with an evaluation of the pilot program.
A third key point on the occasion of the new law is to hasten the changes in the accreditation system, which happens to be integral and mandatory for all higher education institutions wishing to operate in Chile.
The National Commission of accreditation (CNA) must establish rules of selection of you careers and programs of undergraduate and graduate to be evaluated within the accreditation of the institution. Unknown if this will hurt the recognition of their titles in other countries, under the international treaties that require that the races are credited.
The transitional provisions, article 25, States that “those non-accredited institutions of higher education to the date of publication of this law may initiate processes of institutional accreditation with the National Commission of accreditation only until May 31, 2019. Furthermore, those institutions whose institutional accreditations vencieren during the years 2018 and 2019 may start its procedures for accreditation in accordance with the regulations in force”.
Deadlines will come over, 2019 is just around the corner and there are new dimensions as the internal “quality assurance” and the dimension “generation of knowledge, creation or innovation”, for which the CNA shall forward the criteria and standards.
Time passes very quickly and there is a list of topics that need to be addressed soon, if you want to comply with the law in a good way. This translates in studied and regulations result with the actors of the system, benefiting the quality of education and, therefore, the students.
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