Minister of Education says students "are asking for the impossible"

SANTIAGO.- The Minister of Education, Mónica Jiménez, completely rejected student and teacher demands today asking for the General Education Law to be taken out of Parliament.

“They are asking for something that is impossible and they know they are asking for something impossible.  The law will not be revoked, the President wishes for the law to go through”, the minister stated emphatically during an interview with Radio Cooperativa. 

“The only thing we have accepted and proposed are two amendments, and therefore the law will continue to be processed and the members of Parliament agree with this”, she added.

According to the minister, the GEL represents some important improvements on the current Organic Constitutional Education Law (LOCE) requested during student protests in 2006, which is why she said that she “doesn’t understand” the student movement.

Minister Jiménez called the parents of the students to trust that “both Parliament and the government administration are working towards better quality education”.