relationships between the students and their teachers. As indicated earlier in this report, many of the secondary school teachers are professional men who leave their offices or their places of business for one or two daily hours of liceo teaching. They arrive at class time and leave immediately afterwards, which schedule allows no margin of time for overtures of friendliness or out-of-class assistance to the students. On the other hand, the Ministerial Department is encouraging, and promoting the practice of fulltime teachers, who will be in a position to bring about greater rapproche ment. Disciplinary measures include both reward and punishment. Bad conduct is noted in the student's record booklet (Libro de Vida), the number and character of such entries seriously affecting the average yearly grade. The practice of granting or removing certain privileges is growing in favor. Corporal punishment is no longer permitted. According to the offense committed, the student is subjected to one of the following levels of punishment: Reprimand by the teacher, reprimand by the chief supervisor, being sent to the principal's office, report sent to the parent, parent summoned to the principal's office, student's appearance before the Council of Teachers. In the event of a serious offense, the pupil may be expelled.7 Student guidance. There is no systematic program of guidance in the Chilean secondary school. The 6-year course, however, is divided into two equal cycles-one for general education and one for more specialized effort, and an attempt is made in the third year of the first cycle to let the student discover his vocational abilities through participation in nonacademic courses and activities. The second cycle provides major study, according to the abilities of the student, in letters, science, or mathematics preparatory to university work, and endeavors to awaken interest in definite professional fields. School programs for boys and girls are identical, except for the Group C subjects of needlework, home economics, and child care and nursing, provided for girls, in place of the manual training provided for boys. A common uniform-navy blue skirt, white sailor blouse, and black stockings-has been adopted for students in the liceos for girls. The employment of aptitude and interest tests have not yet become a part of secondary school services. Supervision (Inspección). The work of the secondary schools is directed by the Department of Secondary Education in the National Ministry. Four supervisors (visitadores), each in charge of a group of related subjects, make the rounds of the liceos in the country twice a year-more frequently in the capital. One of these supervisors is at the same time director of the Department's research division, which may further indicate the degree of importance attached to this service. These officers suggest pedagogical norms and standards to the heads of the institutions visited and to groups of teachers, and report their activities and findings to the Director General of the Department. In the individual schools there are usually a chief supervisor (inspector general) and several other so-called supervisors whose principal responsibilities lie in matters of student welfare and discipline. The latter are generally young teachers or university students, altogether unprepared for supervisory activities as we know them here in the United States. The National Institute (Instituto Nacional). The most renowned public secondary school for boys is the Instituto Nacional, founded in Santiago in 1813 (p. 5). This school is situated next door to the National University and almost directly across the street from the Ministry of Education. In Elena León, Acción del "Consejero" en los problemas de la disciplina escolar. In Revista de Educación, Año IV, No. 20, Abril 1944. Ministerio de Educación Pública. Santiago de Chile. p. 9. its cluster of gigantic quadrangular and patioed buildings, there are 44 classrooms; a large library; chemistry, physics, and biology laboratories; a huge gymnasium and moving picture hall; administrative offices; and five 125-pupil dining rooms, with kitchen and storage pantry. Administration is attended to by the principal (rector); a vice principal (vice rector) who has charge, among other things, of the paper-work connected with the day boarding students (medio pupilaje); a general supervisor (inspector general) who looks after the student body and helps teachers and students with their work programs, examination arrangements, and similar administrative details; and a business manager (ecónomo) who has charge of all purchasing, preparation, and dietary and related problems incident to feeding the students. Medical care is in the hands of a school physician. Eighty teachers, practically all certificated, provide instruction for the 1,700 students, of whom 650 have their lunches regularly in the school. These latter pay an annual fee of 1,400 pesos in addition to the official registration and laboratory charges. The teachers may have lunch at the rate of 6 pesos per day. Ordinarily about 800 meals are served at a daily cost to the school of 3,800 pesos. The preparatory division offers the last 3 years of elementary education for 320 pupils-8 sections of 40 pupils each., In the first cycle of the secondary school proper, there are five daily 45-minute classes between 8:15 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. Ten-minute rest periods intervene. In the second cycle classes are held also from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Wednesday afternoons are spent in sports and athletic games at the National Stadium. The Institute library contains about 20,000 volumes, several thousands of which are original parchment manuscripts of the early Colonial period. It formerly had approximately 70,000 volumes, but a minister of public education condemned the building to make room for a swimming pool and permitted the books to be distributed indiscriminately among the Prov inces. At the opening of the school year, the teachers meet and decide on the textbooks and other reading for the pupils during the session. Lists are prepared for each year of study, the reading for each subject being arranged in bimonthly groups so that all parallel sections may progress at a uniform rate. At the preparatory school level, the reading consists principally of abridged Spanish translations of the works of Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Cervantes, and other classical European authors of bygone days. The science laboratories are comparatively well appointed and equipped. For biology there are numerous fine specimens of native and foreign animals, birds, reptiles, and insects, both mounted and in alcohol. Hundreds of new specimens are brought in and prepared for instructional purposes by the students themselves. For physics, two large rooms are required for the electrical and other apparatus. An assistant is charged with the demonstrations and experimental activities. In the chemistry classroom seats are arranged at graduated levels of elevation in a semicircle facing the demonstration table. The laboratory is well stocked with materials and equipment. Little actual laboratory experimentation is performed by the students in physics and chemistry, however, teacher demonstation being the general rule. Many of Chile's leading citizens, including 6 presidents and at least 6 archbishops, have graduated from the National Institute. In 1 year, 1938, for example, 45 of the representatives and senators in the National Congress were Institute products. At the invitation of the Governments of Venezuela and of Brazil, groups of its teachers have gone to those coun tries to establish programs of instruction in chemistry and in teacher training. The Institute has literary and science clubs and a polyphonic chorus of 100 voices. Groups of the sixth-year liceo students, 65 at a time accompanied by 7 teachers, take annual excursions to Buenos Aires. Special seminaries are conducted by the teachers of the different subjects to prepare the students for the baccalaureate examinations for entrance into the university. Lyceum No. 1 for Girls "Javiera Carrera" (Liceo No.1 de Niñas "Javiera Carrera"). This school is located in a huge ancient brick building with the traditional flowered patios in the heart of Santiago. Besides the 33 classrooms it has the following accommodations: Chemistry laboratory, art room, feminine handicrafts room, assembly and theater, two gymnasiums, library, three home economics rooms, two enormous and five smaller dining rooms, large kitchen, storage room, laundry, two dentist offices, a doctor's office, large swimming pool, and an oven for ceramics. This liceo provides the full 6-year secondary school course prescribed by the National Ministry. In its preparatory section, it offers 5 years of elementary education, starting with the second year. There are 48 certificated teachers and 2 principals (directoras) who also teach. Two-thirds of the staff are fulltime instructors. Three dentists, a physician, and a nurse attend to the physical condition of the pupils. All pupils are "day boarding" (medio pupilas), which means that they are day students who receive their lunch in the school dining rooms. The official registration fees are charged, plus 1,000 pesos per year for the daily lunch. Enrollments in 1944 totaled 1,453 students distributed as shown in Classes are held 225 days per year regularly from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and from 1:45 to 3:25 p.m. A few special classes in hand work and home economics continue to 4:20 p.m. The classes are 45 minutes long, with 10minute rest periods between them. The teachers are well selected and provide excellent instruction, in spite of the handicap inherent in the lack of textbooks and other desirable educational materials. Frequent excursions are made by students and teachers together to factories, museums, concerts, theaters, and lectures; and, for the development of both cooperative effort and leadership, numerous extraclass activities are promoted. Twice a year the students provide and prepare everything involved in a special breakfast for an elementary school in a poor district of the city. An appropriate program is offered and clothing, candy, and fruits are distributed among the pupils. There are several clubs, such as the Literary Academy (Academia Literaria), which takes charge of the school's regular entertainment programs; the Alumnae Association (Centro de ExAlumnas), which gives an annual luncheon in honor of the first principal of the school and a party for the members of the graduating class; and the Pan American Club (Club Pan Americano), which celebrates with songs, dances, and music the Independence Day anniversaries of all American Republics. Once a year, on Teacher's Day (Día del Maestro), the students stage a "fiesta" expressly for their teachers, with solo and chorus singing. dances, piano and instrumental music, recitation of original poems, and short skits. Each day, immediately after lunch, a 45-minute period is devoted to recreation, music, and other forms of entertainment in the assembly hall. There are approximately 5,000 volumes in the school library, which has a monthly average of 573 student-readers, who take books home; and 108, who read in the school. Among the most popular readings are: Cejador's Collection of Literary Masterpieces, The Young People's Treasury. the Encyclopedia Española, and the Encyclopedia Britannica. As yet there are few books in English, but with the English language raised to the status of a major subject in 1944, the number of volumes in this field is to be considerably increased. The program of studies, examinations, grading system, etc., all conform to the official requirements for Chilean secondary schools. Accreditation of private institutions.-Private secondary schools (colegios) are supposed to function under regulations established by law for public liceos. Special privileges are granted to various colegios, howev for trying out curricula and procedures different from those of the official schools. All private schools are required to make an annual statistical re port to the Secondary Education Department of the National Ministry. As yet, no definite requirements have been laid down in regard to school plant, size of staff, qualifications of teachers, or school program; but the Division of Examinations and Private Schools has made an effort to bring about cordial relations and compliance with existing legislation. Instruction in all subjects, except foreign languages, must be given in Spanish: and Chilean history and geography and courses in Spanish must be conducted by native Chileans. A decree in 1944 declared that "no private school may use reference texts that have not been approved previously by the respective elementary or secondary Department of the National Ministry." The Government provides scholarships of 1,000 pesos each in Santiago and 500 pesos in the Provinces for as many as 10 percent of the students in a number of private schools which conform to the official regulations. Examinations are free for students of the liceos. Students of private colegios are required to pay for them at the rate of 25 pesos for first-cycle examinations and 35 pesos for second-cycle. Examinations for entrance to liceos and mental maturity examinations cost 10 pesos per student. Achievement or validation of credit examinations are 40 pesos for firstcycle studies and 120 pesos when they include second-cycle studies. Private schools desiring for their students the title or degree of bachelor (bachiller en humanidades), granted by the University of Chile, and. under certain conditions, by the Catholic University in Santiago, are required to present them annually for examination in materials of the official program before examining boards appointed by the Director General of Secondary Education. These students must complete the secondary school course of studies, render successful examinations, and be holders of the secondary school graduation diploma (Licencia secundaria) before they may be presented for the baccalaureate examinations in the National University. Secondary school costs. Of the grand total of 741,500,000 pesos allotted to the Ministry of Public Education in 1944, the sum of 70,383,401 pesos -slightly less than one-tenth-was spent on secondary education. Compared with the 44,092,819 pesos allocated to secondary education in 1940, the 1944 expenditure for the same number of public schools shows a favorable increase. For private schools the Government also extended subsidies in 1944 amounting to 9,200,550 pesos. * Boletín Informativo del Ministerio de Educación. Año I, No. 3. Diciembre 1, 1944. Santiago de Chile. p. 25. |