The mayoress of Ñuñoa, emilia riosinitiated on December 19 a summary against the director of the Liceo Augusto D’Halmar, Jaime Andrade Jorquera -who has remained in office for 28 years-, for allegedly denying enrollment of repeating students for 2023. The prosecutor in charge of the process ruled, among other measures, the immediate suspension of the functions of the director, as well as the prohibition of his admission to the educational establishment.
The educational community of the campus demonstrated against the measure in front of the Municipality, on December 21, in a protest that brought together teachers, education assistants, parents and students.
According to the Union of Education Workers of the Augusto D’Halmar High School in Ñuñoa, the investigation presents a series of irregularities and does not comply with due process. “The decision not to renew a registration for the following year is carried out the last week of December and the suspension of the director was made before the process of evaluating the renewal of registrations began,” they said.
In the same way, they indicated that “the denial of enrollment is not part of the measures that are taken in this high school nor does it obey the guidelines delivered by the Ministry of Education.”
They also pointed out that “the day after the investigation began, an external substitute director was appointed, without respecting the institutional hierarchy of nominating someone from the same institution. Given the community’s claim, said director withdrew from the establishment a few hours after taking office, as she indicated that she had not been duly informed of the situation and that she felt cheated”.
This forced the appointment of the current Director of Education of the Municipal Corporation as the new deputy director. According to the union, the measure has been resisted by the community, which prompted threats to initiate administrative proceedings against officials who opposed the appointment. “This situation was duly denounced to the Labor Inspectorate,” they commented.
Response from the Municipality of Ñuñoa
Given the facts, the Ñuñoa Health and Education Corporation responded in a statement – signed by Mayor Emilia Ríos and dated December 21 – that they received “numerous claims and formal complaints.” This, because the campus would have denied enrollment to students for being “repeaters for the first time in the establishment.”
From the Corporation they pointed out that this contravenes decree 67, article 14, of the Mineduc.
In turn, they indicated that in the complaints “other types of situations were manifested that, if effective, are of the utmost seriousness” because “it could constitute a crime of falsifying a public instrument.”
Meanwhile, they commented that “the denial of registration previously reported to the parents would have been rectified.”
