Teachers Criticize ‘Protected Schools’ Bill as Inadequate and Superficial

Original article: «Ministra, ¿cuándo vamos a abordar los temas de fondo? »: Profesores reiteraron sus críticas al proyecto «Escuelas Protegidas» The Chilean Teachers’ Association has labeled the recently approved «Protected Schools» bill as «poor, insufficient, and merely performative,» emphasizing that it fails to address the underlying issues of school violence. The bill was passed on Tuesday, April 21st, by the Chamber of Deputies and is now set for further deliberation in the Senate.

Following the vote, the union’s president, Mario Aguilar Arévalo, reiterated their stance, stating, «We have made it clear and will continue to insist that this is a poor project that only addresses urgent containment issues, not the deeper root causes. » Aguilar highlighted Education Minister María Paz Arzola’s remarks during her address to the Lower House, where she acknowledged that the bill does not tackle the fundamental problems associated with school violence. «Minister, when will we address the core issues?

This problem has been escalating for over a decade now, and measures like Safe Classroom only focus on the effects and not the causes,» he challenged the education leader. He further questioned, «When will we hear that the government has a plan to address mental health? When will there be a curriculum review to emphasize character development, coexistence, and emotional well-being, which are essential to the mission of education?

When will we tackle the foundational issues, Minister? That’s the question,» he added. In conclusion, Mario Aguilar affirmed that while it is crucial to prevent weapons from entering schools, this action alone will not resolve the fundamental problem.

«We have been explicit about this and will continue to advocate strongly in the Senate that this project is inadequate, lacks effective measures, and fails to genuinely address the violence prevalent in schools,» the union leader concluded.