The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, called on Chileans to take advantage of opportunities created by economic growth and acknowledge the things that are going well.

“I ask you, is there any country that can continue improving people’s economic conditions and jobs if things are going bad there? That’s enough. The time has come to acknowledge the good things and stop the pessimism. We need to take advantage of opportunities, as you all are doing, and move forward,”

he said.
At the ceremonial opening of the adult education school year in the Santiago-area district of Pudahuel, the President stated that

“I must say that I am enormously concerned with this sort of pessimism, a negative vision that is taking hold in some places.”

She added that

“it’s true, there are problems, but this administration and myself have confronted them face-to-face, saying when things are good and when things are bad. And I will never, ever say that something is good when it’s not. However, it’s quite another thing to say that nothing works, that everything is bad. That is completely false.”

During the event, at which she was joined by Education Minister Yasna Provoste and Labor Minister Osvaldo Andrade, she pointed to recent jobs indicators showing lower unemployment.

“What did the last jobless index show us? It showed a new drop in unemployment—a trend, not an isolated number. There are more jobs,”

she said, adding that the most important thing about increasing job opportunities is that they are salaried jobs,

“With contracts, better quality and pay, and more opportunities for women. We have to keep working to ensure more jobs for women, for men, for young people. But the news is good.”

President Bachelet continued that

“external economic reports show that in general, Latin America is going to grow a bit less than last year, but that the country in Latin America expected to grow the most is Chile, and we are going to grow more than last year.”

While she acknowledged persistent needs and pending challenges, but clarified that

“we are confronting them day by day. And I am sure that at the end of my term, this will be a better country for each one of us.”

She highlighted progress made in Chilean educational policy, which emphasizes a move towards higher educational standards for all. She thus affirmed that

“there is no other activity that raises as many hopes as education. And based on the progress we have made in recent years, we need to face these new challenges, to achieve higher levels of equity and higher quality standards and support for those who have not finished their elementary or high school educations.”

The President emphasized that some of these challenges are urgent. For example, she said, 4% of Chileans over 15 do not know how to read and write, 30% of Chilean adults only have elementary school educations and 22% have not completed high school. However, she continued, much progress has been made in recent years. Adult education programs have tripled in size, from including 76,000 people in 1990 to including 220,000 people in 2006.

Bachelet continued that much more could be done in this area.

“We can and want much more. We want to continue increasing coverage, to reach the goal of 800,000 people beginning or continuing their studies between now and 2010,”

she said, reporting that a new curriculum would be gradually introduced to allow different establishments to develop their own plans incorporate a 5th grade curriculum into their programs.

Meanwhile, teacher training will continue, allowing educators to renew their methodologies and renew their equipment. The President added that institutions would be strengthened as well, in order to offer ongoing programs and focus on adults with family and work-related responsibilities beyond their educational endeavors.

In conclusion, President Bachelet said that particular emphasis would be placed on elementary and high school education as part of the upcoming System of Ongoing Formation. She insisted on her commitment to education for all, including adults, as a fundamental aspect of he ideal for Chile to which all aspire.

Chile is a democracy. It has a popularly elected President with a bicameral legislature and independent judiciary.
CURRENT GOVERNMENT
President: Michelle Bachelet
Min. of Agriculture: Campos Quiroga, Jaime
Min. of Defense : Bachelet, Michelle
Min. of Economy, Mining, & Energy: Rodriguez Grossi, Jorge
Min. of Education: Bitar, Sergio
Min. of Finance Eyzaguirre: Guzman, Nicolas
Min. of Foreign Relations: Alvear Valenzuela, Maria Soledad
Min. of Health: Garcia, Pedro
Min. of Housing, Urbanism, & Public Lands: Ravinet, Jaime
Min. of Interior: Insulza, Jose Miguel
Min. of Justice: Bates Hidalgo, Luis
Min. of Labor & Social Security: Solari Saavedra, Ricardo
Min. of Mining: Dulanto, Alfonso
Min. of National Women's Service: Perez Diaz, Cecilia
Min. of Planning & Cooperation : Palma, Andres
Min. of Public Works, Transportation, & Telecommunications: Etcheverry, Javier
Min. Sec. Gen. of Govt.: Huenchumilla, Francisco
Min. Sec. Gen. of the Presidency: Vidal, Francisco
Pres., Central Bank: Massad, Carlos
Ambassador to the US: Bianchi, Andres
Permanent Representative to the UN, New York : Valdes, Juan

Summary and Facts of Chilean Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: September 18, 1810.
Constitution: Promulgated September 11, 1980; effective March 11, 1981; amended in 1989, 1993, 1997, and 2005.
Branches: Executive--president. Legislative--bicameral legislature. Judicial--Constitutional Tribunal, Supreme Court, court of appeals, military courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 12 numbered regions plus two new ones approved by legislation but not yet functioning, as well as the Santiago metropolitan region, administered by appointed "intendentes." Regions are divided into provinces, administered by appointed governors; provinces are divided into municipalities administered by elected mayors.
Political parties: Major parties are grouped into two large coalitions: 1) the center-left "Concertacion", which includes the Christian Democrat Party, the Socialist Party, the Party for Democracy, and the Radical Social Democratic Party; and 2) the center-right "Alliance for Chile", which includes the National Renewal Party and the Independent Democratic Union. The Communist Party joined the Humanistic Party and a number of smaller parties to form the "Together We Can" coalition in 2004, but none of these leftist parties have recently elected congressional representatives.
Suffrage: Universal at 18, including foreigners legally resident for more than 5 years.

With the restablishment of democratic government in March 1990, Chile was once again thrust into the international limelight. In the early 1970s, the long, narrow country on the west coast of South America had drawn widespread attention by electing a Marxist president, Salvador Allende Gossens (1970-73), who was intent on forging a new path to socialism. Following Allende's overthrow on September 11, 1973, Chile under military rule became notorious for some of the worst excesses of modern-day authoritarianism.

Headed by General of the Army Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (1973- 90), the dictatorship was widely reviled for ending Chile's tradition of democratic politics and committing numerous violations of human rights. Although isolated politically, Chile's military government earned international acclaim for far-reaching economic and social reforms that transformed the country's state-oriented economy into one of the most open economic systems in the developing world. The economic reforms of the late 1970s and 1980s set the foundation for extraordinary investment and growth in the early 1990s. Economic progress, combined with the return of democratic politics largely devoid of the confrontation and polarization of the past, positioned Chile to enter the twentyfirst century with increased prosperity in a climate of peace and freedom.