Progress and setbacks in Chilean migrant education policy: The case of the “temporary school identification number”

Abstract

Following various education policies which failed to guarantee the educational integration of migrant pupils in Chilean public schools, a “temporary school identification number” was introduced in January 2017, with the purpose of securing these children’s rights to access and stay in school. Given the current lack of information regarding the effectiveness of this public policy, the present article explores how this normative has been implemented in Chilean schools. Employing a qualitative descriptive design, the article is based on 8 semi-structured interviews with the school principals and the administrative officers of 4 schools in Santiago. The results show that this normative is generally effective in ensuring access and stay in school for the migrant pupils. Nevertheless, the results also pinpoint the lack of a complementary education policy that systematically guides schools with regards to curricular adaptation, academic leveling, and reception plans, three elements that play a key role in the educational attainment of migrant pupils in Chile.