Original article: Daniela Serrano en debate de Titularidad Docente: “Son educadores y educadoras, no parásitos”

Daniela Serrano on Teacher Tenure Debate: «They Are Educators, Not Parasites»

The Chamber of Deputies approved a groundbreaking bill on Tuesday that establishes permanent tenure for teachers and educators in the public system, a measure aimed at enhancing job stability and acknowledging the efforts of countless instructors across the country. The initiative has now been sent to the Senate for further processing.

The Bill, driven by the Executive, had previously been on the agenda but failed to be voted on due to a lack of quorum as several members were absent, resulting in the failure of the earlier session. However, this session saw a significant majority in favor of the initiative.

Deputy Daniela Serrano (PC), a member of the Education Commission, emphasized the passage of the bill, highlighting its importance as a matter of labor justice:

“This bill addresses a longstanding debt to teachers. It represents a crucial step towards strengthening their job stability.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t discuss or vote on it earlier because a significant number of members were absent without justification, leading to the session’s failure. But today, we successfully moved it forward, it has passed to the Senate, and we hope it becomes law soon, granting permanent tenure that ensures long-term stability.”

During her remarks in the Chamber, Serrano also underscored the value of teaching and the necessity of recognizing their contributions to the country:

“They are educators, not parasites. When we talk about public officials, we are talking about defending the education of this country.”

Deputy Serrano further emphasized that this reform introduces a permanent rule to the Teacher Statute for the first time, granting automatic tenure to those who have served three continuous years or four discontinuous years with the same employer, thereby establishing a structural measure rather than an exceptional one for the public educational system. With this approval, Congress is taking a significant step towards dignifying the teaching profession and enhancing public education in Chile.