Previous to the formation of the Republic, the only institutions in
Chile possessing facilities for instruction in the sciences and higher
branches of education were the monasteries, the school at San Filipe
being recognized as a national university. But the monastic education
was not in harmony with the modern republican ideas of the progressive
Chilenos, and the San Filipe institution was abolished by official
decree in 1839, and in its place there was established a group of
schools under the name of the University of Chile. The new institution
which was formally opened in 1842, marked an era in the educational
system of the country. The original building, in Santiago, fronting on
the broad Alameda, with its rows of trees and wide park-way, adorned
with statues of national heroes, is a fine architectural creation of
the Spanish style, with interior patios and galleries. The University,
which has an annual attendance of from 1,500 to 2,000 students has
special and well equipped departments of Philosophy and Letters, Law
and Political Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Engineering,
Architecture, Pedagogy and a Normal school.
The State also maintains schools of secondary and superior instruction,
the latter being under the direction of the University, which maintains
thirty-six different colleges in the Republic, and gives courses in
practical and special branches, and also industrial training. In
the first six years of the course in these colleges the pupils are
instructed in branches designated in the program prepared by the
Council of Instruction, a corporation whose members are appointed by
the government, and which is required to hold weekly sessions.
The course of instruction in the secondary institutions consists of
the following, worked out according to the German concentric system:
Physical and natural science, mathematics, Spanish, French, German and
English languages, drawing, geography, history, gymnastics and singing.
The pupils who pass the general and final examinations satisfactorily,
receive the degree of Bachelor of Arts, which admits them to the
superior courses of Law, Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, etc., in
the University.
All this instruction is provided by the State, free of expense, except
250 pesos per year which the pupil is required to pay for board. The
government has secured a competent corps of teachers and instructors
for the secondary colleges and the University, the majority of them
coming from Germany and Belgium under contract. Their pay is about
6,000 pesos, equal to $2,000 United States currency, annually.
Chile also maintains a number of Industrial and Commercial schools.
Among these special institutions are four Commercial and Industrial,
three Agricultural, three Mining, and two professional schools for
women, an Art Institute and a school of Fishery. The pupils attending
these institutions are trained in the various professions and
industries taught in the respective schools. This part of the system
of public instruction, especially in the establishments in which the
poorer classes receive their education, is very deficient. But this
particular branch is now receiving the attention of the government
authorities, and there is a prospect of decided improvement in the
standard of these schools. One of the defects of these liceos is
the fact that the number of pupils in each is so great that it is
impossible for the masters to hear all the recitations of each pupil,
or to give them individual attention in their studies.
In addition to the public schools and higher educational institutions
maintained by the State, there are many private schools and colleges,
which offer fairly good facilities for general and special educational
training. The Catholic church provides many schools that are well
equipped for primary education.
A weak feature of the educational system of Chile, which possesses many
excellent and commendable qualities, is the fact that the State schools
are crowded with pupils from the wealthy families, to the neglect and
exclusion of the children of the poor. The result is the education of a
class in which the majority are ambitious to engage in the professions,
rather than in the trades, agricultural and commercial life.
What Chile needs for the development of her varied and rich resources
is engineers, mechanics, and men trained in agricultural and commercial
pursuits, instead of musicians, artists, professors and politicians,
for whom the government is expected to provide employment.
The fact that over sixty per cent. of the population is illiterate is
due to various causes. The Chilean Roto is without ambition for himself
or his family, and until education is made compulsory he will not
attempt to lift his children above the low intellectual level in which
he and his ancestors for generations have been content to live. He has
yet to learn the importance to himself, to the State and society, of
education, and mental training. Another drawback to primary education
in the rural districts is the geographical and climatic conditions
of the country. In many places the territory is sparsely settled and
schoolhouses far apart. The country is mountainous, and in the winter
season streams become raging torrents from the excessive rains, making
journeys across country impossible for children of school age.