Mr. Director:
Last Friday, the Minister of Education celebrated the four-point increase in average attendance in March compared to the same month last year, reaching 89%. It is always great news that students are going to class and that is why we celebrate this increase. However, it is important to be clear that this March attendance figure, if maintained for the rest of the year, would mean that all students in Chile would miss a full month of classes in 2023. If we really want to make up for lost time in the pandemic, children and young people need to be in class every day and absenteeism should be an exception. Let’s set a more ambitious country goal that really benefits schoolchildren and let’s unite as a country to ensure that every day counts in all of Chile’s schools and high schools.
Rebeca Molina
Executive Director
Fundación Educacional Presente
