In a session of the Coordination Council of State Universities, in which the ULS Rector, Dr. Luperfina Rojas, participated, it was agreed to articulate the Internal Committee for Public Education, which will facilitate cooperation between state higher education institutions and regional actors of the school educational system, with the aim of promoting the transfer of capabilities and resources to SLEPs.

This Thursday, the Minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo; the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Aisén Etcheverry; the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Víctor Orellana, and rectors of state universities met in session No. 22 of the Coordination Council of State Universities, a body that seeks to promote the articulated and collaborative action of these institutions in favor of the development of the country.

In the session, important strategic initiatives were addressed to strengthen the Local Public Education Services (SLEP), which are the organizations to which the establishments that previously belonged to the municipalities are being transferred, and which will be improved through a project of law presented by the Ministry of Education.

Minister Nicolás Cataldo highlighted that the improvements needed by the Public Education System require the support of public universities. “There are few State institutions, except its universities, with the capabilities to provide pedagogical and management support. Only you have the installed and diverse capacity in all areas of knowledge that allow us to face these structural challenges, because while we are solving infrastructure problems, we also have to improve learning and management, think about innovation and generate capabilities. That is the challenge we face, especially in extreme regions,” explained the minister.

Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Víctor Orellana, highlighted the coordinating role of the Coordination Council and noted that “today, in addition to highlighting the commitment to strengthening public education, we address different matters linked to the modernization of higher education. state, such as plans for the growth of academic offerings or enrollment, institutional financing and the Plan to Strengthen State Universities, issues in which we hope to continue advancing in a coordinated and dialogue manner, to put higher education at the service of the needs of the country and its territories.” 

For his part, the rector of the University of Valparaíso and president of the Consortium of State Universities (Cuech), Osvaldo Corrales, highlighted the importance of this committee, which "seeks precisely to make available to the country, to the regions, the capabilities that The universities of the State have to ensure that this system is installed appropriately and provides quality education for all girls and boys at different educational levels.” 

Regarding the modernization agenda for state universities to which Undersecretary Orellana referred, Corrales pointed out that “it is a plan that we have been waiting for and also asking for for many years. We are very hopeful because the lines that the undersecretary has presented in principle reflect the demand that public universities have had for many years, and that they have no other purpose than to allow public higher education to provide a much better, much more efficient service to the young women and men who throughout the country study in our institutions.” Likewise, the rector stressed the importance of advancing a joint work plan to materialize the axes proposed on the agenda.

Bill on Technology Transfer and Knowledge in Universities

At the event, the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Aisén Etcheverry, presented the main elements of the draft Law on Technological Transfer and Knowledge in Universities, which seeks to establish a regulatory framework to link research, science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship with society and industry. Regarding higher education, the project establishes that institutions will be able to create or participate in scientific-technological-based companies developed from results generated by research, with an important participation of state institutions in this matter.

The minister pointed out that “from the Ministry of Sciences we highly value this space, working regularly over time with the rectors of the universities allows us to strengthen public policies and also better understand where the opportunities and challenges are that they are facing to be able to improve the prioritization of what we do.”

“Today we present the draft Law on Technology and Knowledge Transfer, which is a tremendous step in facilitating the integration of the university, particularly State universities, with the private sector in terms of transfer. This is a desire of more than 15 years. The bill is presented, it undoubtedly has room for improvement and that is what we are going to work on as well with the contributions they make to us,” he added. 

About the Coordination Council of State Universities

The Council is made up of the rectors of the 18 universities in the State; by the Minister of Education, who presides; and by the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, and has a Technical Secretariat located in the Undersecretary of Higher Education of the Mineduc. The Council functions through internal committees made up of five rectors and two government authorities.