Mr. Director, This week, the mayor of Renca announced the delivery of a bonus to all pre-kindergarten children who have 95% attendance between March and May in the schools of his commune, as a radical way to face the serious problem of school absenteeism. All efforts to keep students in class are welcome. We hope that the voucher will be the first step to generate multiple national strategies that motivate attendance and generate appreciation for school education. Let us not forget that last year, 52% of students nationwide ended the year with chronic absenteeism, 1,560,000 students who missed 1 month of classes during the year. To repeat these figures in 2024 would be to add tragedies to our country. Let us prepare our schools. Let’s have everything ready to receive our children and young people in safe, challenging and attractive environments. Let us prepare the backpacks. Let’s coordinate the logistics now, and let’s make sure no one misses this March 5th!
María Koch
Director of Implementation
Programa Presente Foundation
