[ARCHIVO] President Bachelet: “Governments can change, but they cannot stop history when it is being propelled forward by an entire country”

The President announced that free university, technical and professional higher education will extend to the 60% most vulnerable students in 2018. She also announced that bills will be sent to Congress to establish a new regulatory framework to strengthen state-run universities and to put an end to the state-guaranteed loan (Crédito con Aval del Estado, or CAE) through the creation of a public entity and quality standards for all institutions receiving the benefit.

With regard to state-run technical training centers (CFTs), she said that the implementation of the first five will begin in 2017 in Tarapacá, Coquimbo, Maule, la Araucanía and Los Lagos and they will receive their first students in March 2018. “This is a historical milestone for technical education on a scale never before assumed by the State in Chile.”
The President said, “anyone who wants to take a step backwards with a policy that is serious, inclusive and responsible – as is the case with free higher education – will be turning their backs on Chile and on Chilean families. All of us are responsible for defending this win.”

With regard to pensions, she said that in July she would be sending a bill to strengthen the contributory pillar of the pensions system by establishing a new contribution of 5% to be paid by employers. It will also propose the setting up of a constitutionally autonomous public organism to oversee the correct management of these resources. “Once operational, it will enable an immediate 20% increase in AFP old age pensions. And, as the system matures, these pensions will increase by an average of 50%,” she emphasized.

With regard to security, President Bachelet highlighted that the crimes of greater social connotation fell by 6.6% between 2015 and 2016. “For many, these facts do not seem to be reflected in what they see each day on the news nor are they in tune with their ongoing sensation of insecurity. But they are objective facts that show we are making progress in the fight against crime and that we should continue to work with the same strength in the future,” she said.

In the economic domain, she stated that to date 325,000 new companies had been started up, 60,000 more than during the previous administration.
She also announced that Codelco is preparing to make the first public extraction of lithium – in partnership with the private sector – in the Maricunga and Pedernales salt flats.

The President continued, “we are going to start the process to build line 7 of the Santiago metro and we have committed the funds for this. It will go from the Brasil metro station in the district of Renca to the Estoril station in Vitacura and will enable the decongestion of the saturated line 1.”

Chile will achieve the historic figure of 1 million square kilometers of completely protected sea and has become a world leader in marine conservation.
The President stated, “today Chile is better than it was yesterday. Because we are building new, robust foundations so that tomorrow will surpass today.”

President Bachelet concluded, “this is my final State of the Nation Address in this government and my eighth as the President of Chile. It has been a history of commitment and hard work, of lessons learned, of pain and of many joys. For me, it is the history of my love for Chile.”