'Let's build another education': RTE, GI-ESCR, and SUMMA campaign for the right to education in the constitutional process in Chile

'Constituyamos otra educación' ('Let's build another education') is a campaign led by SUMMA, the Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean, and two international organizations, the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) and the Right to Education Initiative (RTE).

It aims to promote the debate on how best to guarantee the right to education in Chile’s constitution, based on the analysis of Chile’s own constitutional history as well as of the constitutional experience of other countries and international human rights standards.

Building on evidence from other experiences throughout the world, the initiative aims to show that transforming and improving education in Chile is possible.

'We have been working for years on the promotion and development of education in Chile and Latin America and the Caribbean. For this reason, we believe that this campaign, carried out together with organisations with which we share a solid and consistent path and agenda, aims to build the education we dream of in a participatory manner. We seek to continue building a country where everyone has the same rights, a country based on social justice. To achieve this goal, as many other countries do, we must be able to embody the principles of equality, freedom, fraternity and inclusion much more strongly in our political constitution' said Javier González, Executive Director of SUMMA.

'The right to education is indispensible to the enjoyment of other rights, personality development and dignity.  This right goes beyond ensuring that all children and young people can attend school; it also implies that the education they receive is inclusive, non-discriminatory, appropriate to their needs and adapted to their context.  The human rights framework has placed particular emphasis on the fact that a public service as important as education cannot be left to the mercy of the market. The political constitution of Chile plays a key role in ensuring the enjoyment of this right, which is not the case at present', added Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR).

For Delphine Dorsi, Executive Director of the Right to Education Initiative, 'The constituent process is a key opportunity for Chilean society to recognize and guarantee the right to education in all its dimensions, including its social dimension. With an education system marked by significant segregation and inequality, it is a landmark moment to anchor in the constitution the right to education that reflects the values of social justice: a right to free, good-quality public education for all. The Constitution of a country defines the social project of a people for many years. It is a unique moment to define educational objectives that are based on respect for human rights and that respond to today's challenges at both the individual and collective levels.' 

For more information on this campaign, check out our joint campaign’s page on SUMMA’s website.