Directorate of Public Education

Directorate of Public Education

Dirección de Educación Pública
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Public agency overview
Formed	November 24, 2017 (2017-11-24)
Type	Decentralized public service
Jurisdiction	Government of Chile
Status	Active
Headquarters	Santiago Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins No. 1449, Tower 4, floors 15, 16 and 17
Annual budget	CLP 384,760,693 million (2024)
Public agency executive	Rodrigo Egaña Baraona, Director
Parent department	Ministry of Education
Parent Public agency	Government of Chile
Key document	Law No. 21.040 (2017)
Website	educacionpublica.cl

The Directorate of Public Education (DEP) is a decentralized public agency in Chile, under the authority of the Ministry of Education. It is responsible for the management and coordination of the Public Education System, ensuring that the Local Public Education Services (SLEPs) provide quality education throughout the country.

Background

In 1920, the Compulsory Primary Education Law was enacted, whose Article 18 stated that "Primary education shall be under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Instruction" [sic]. For about sixty years, primary and secondary public education was administered directly by the State through the Ministry of Education.

In 1979, with the enactment of Decree Law No. 3,063, a process of municipalization began, whereby the administrative responsibility of educational institutions was transferred to Municipal Departments of Education (DAEMs) or Municipal Education Directorates (DEMs).

Following the return to democracy, various organizations of teachers and students raised concerns about the municipal administration of public education. Students in particular became the primary advocates for ending municipal control, especially after the major student movements of 2006 and 2011.

In her 2013 presidential campaign, Michelle Bachelet proposed a comprehensive education reform that included ending the municipal era in public education administration. Once in office for her second term, the president introduced a bill in 2015 that culminated in the enactment of Law No. 21,040 on November 24, 2017. This law "Creates the Public Education System" and established a gradual process of de-municipalization. Between 2018 and 2025, the administration of preschool, primary, and secondary education is to be transferred to 70 Local Public Education Services (SLEPs), decentralized public agencies with their own legal personality and assets.

As of September 2022, 15 out of the 70 Local Public Education Services had been implemented.

Functions

The Directorate of Public Education has the following functions and responsibilities:

• Propose to the Ministry of Education the National Public Education Strategy that members of the system must follow, and ensure its implementation.
• Draft and submit to the Minister of Education the educational management agreements, and oversee their monitoring, evaluation, and revision.
• Propose to the Minister of Education the professional profile required for candidates applying for the position of Executive Director of the Local Services.
• Provide technical assistance to the administrative management of the Local Services.
• Allocate funds to the Local Services, in accordance with the Public Sector Budget Law.
• Make recommendations regarding the Annual Plan.
• Guide the Local Services in developing public education offerings across the national territory.
• Coordinate the Local Services, promoting collaborative and networked work.
• Propose innovation plans to the Local Services, aligned with Ministry of Education policies.
• Propose to the Ministry of Education policies, plans, and programs related to public education.
• Maintain a registry of the strategic plans of the Local Services.
• Supervise and ensure compliance with agreements involving technical-professional education institutions under the delegated administration regime.
• Coordinate the relationship between the Local Services and the Ministry of Education, as well as other agencies of the State Administration.
• Promote improvements in the quality of education provided by schools under the Local Services that serve individuals under any regime of deprivation of liberty or social reintegration programs.
• Request from Local Services and their schools all necessary information for fulfilling its functions and responsibilities.
• Request information from the Agency for Quality in Education and the Superintendency of Education, and coordinate with them within their respective areas of responsibility concerning Local Services and their schools.
• Define operational policies and functioning of monitoring, management, information, and tracking systems for the Local Services, aiming to ensure the use of digital tools.
• Conduct or commission studies, diagnostics, and evaluations of the educational situation of each Local Service and their schools.
• Enter into agreements with public or private entities to address matters of mutual interest.
• Present an annual public report on the status and projections of the Public Education System.
• Exercise any other functions and powers assigned by law.

Institutional structure

Leadership

According to the law, the direction and administration of the institution is entrusted to the Director of Public Education, who is appointed by the President of Chile through the Senior Public Management System. The Director is the chief executive of the service, is empowered to propose to the Ministry of Education the removal of Executive Directors of Local Services, and represents the state extrajudicially in executing actions and contracts necessary to fulfill the institution's mandate.

Directors

• Rodrigo Egaña Baraona (2017–2019)
• María Alejandra Grebe Noguera (2019–2022)
• Alexis Moreira Arenas (acting, 2022)
• Jaime Veas Sánchez (2022–2023)
• Rodrigo Egaña Baraona (acting, 2023–2024)
• Rodrigo Egaña Baraona (2024–present)

Internal structure

The official staffing structure, in addition to its Director, consists of 10 managerial and executive positions, 53 professionals, 16 technicians, and 23 administrative and support staff, totaling 102 employees.

The internal structure of the Directorate of Public Education is organized as follows:

Deputy Directorates

• Strategic Development Deputy Directorate
• Internal Management Deputy Directorate

Divisions

• Educational Development Division
• SLEP Implementation Division
• SLEP Management and Budget Division
• Finance and Budget Division

Departments

• Department of Educational Infrastructure and Equipment
• Legal Advisory Department

Subdepartments

• Communications Subdepartment
• Audit Subdepartment

Under Strategic Development Deputy Directorate:

• Monitoring, Studies and Data Subdepartment
• Gender, Inclusion and Participation Subdepartment
• Process Management and Institutional Innovation Subdepartment

Under Internal Management Deputy Directorate:

• Planning and Control Subdepartment
• Human Resources Management and Development Subdepartment
• Information Technology Subdepartment
• Institutional Administration Subdepartment
• Institutional Finance Subdepartment

Under Department of Educational Infrastructure and Equipment:

• Planning and Coordination Subdepartment

Under Educational Development Division:

• Educational Installation and Management Subdepartment
• Educational Programs and Professional Development Subdepartment
• Learning Improvement and Educational Innovation Subdepartment

Under SLEP Implementation Division:

• Territorial Management Subdepartment
• SLEP Planning and Installation Subdepartment
• Regulations and Transition Subdepartment

Under SLEP Management and Budget Division:

• Financial Management Support Subdepartment
• Budget Management Subdepartment
• SLEP Performance Management Subdepartment
• Operations Management Subdepartment

See also

• Education in Chile
• General Education Law (Chile)
• National Education Council (Chile)
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education