Chile (Universidad Austral de Chile) 32 Educators and Differential Educators graduated at the Puerto Montt Headquarters
On Friday, November 11, in the Aula Magna of the Pelluco Campus of the Austral University of Chile, a new graduation ceremony was held for the School of Pedagogy in Differential Education of the Puerto Montt Campus, an instance in which 32 new professionals with a mention in Intellectual Disability and Hearing and Language received their professional titles, in the company of family members and teachers.
The ceremony – led by the Vice Chancellor Dr. Carlos Haefner Velásquez, the Director of the School of Pedagogy in Differential Education, Prof. Fabiola Contreras Sáez, and the Academic Director of the Puerto Montt Campus, Sandra Burgos Henríquez- began with the anthem of the UACh performed by the children’s choir of the Casa de las Artes.
The Vice Chancellor Dr. Carlos Haefner Velásquez greeted the teachers and stressed that “according to a United Nations report delivered a short time ago, it was highlighted that there are 240 million boys and girls in the world with some type of need specials. Of them, 42% of that number of boys and girls are less likely than the rest to acquire a certain type of knowledge based on topics such as mathematics, language and other areas, but at the same time 49% of this group is more likely to not enter or drop out early from the educational system. These are tremendously complex figures and the Chilean Ministry of Education indicated this week that post-COVID 50,000 children have dropped out of the school system.
He added that “to this is added an alarming figure, close to 200,000 who had already deserted the system in the last five to six years. This situation is dramatic if we consider that it is a human right and we have to make every possible effort for children to enter and remain in the school system, due to the costs it has for the country. It is tremendously high to re-enter a child in the school system. This degree in Pedagogy in Differential Education is significant because it fundamentally contributes to the expansion of this human right, which is education, to children with special needs. Special education is relevant only because it helps to combat inequality, special education tells us the type of society we are in,
For her part, the Director of the School of Pedagogy in Differential Education, Mg. Fabiola Contreras Sáez also addressed the graduates: “I do it with great joy because I know it is a great achievement on a personal and family level. Now we have to look ahead, a path to follow full of challenges, joys and sometimes many fears because we have to face new challenges that work life brings us. This is a career that requires a lot of dedication, but one faces it because there is a reward, which is the unconditional love that our students and their families give us. We, who were their teachers, would love to go back in time educating these students with special educational needs who constantly challenged us to seek diversified strategies to respond appropriately to their needs and to be included in this society. We reflect ourselves in you, because that is the wonderful thing about being a teacher, being able to transcend in our students. Today you are the ones mandated to be those transformative teachers and builders of learning for your students, we believe in you”.
Later a group of students was recognized. Vice Chancellor Dr. Haefner gave the distinction of Academic Merit to Professor Nahely Aguilar Vidal, for having had the highest cumulative GPA in her five years of academic training.
The prize for effort and perseverance in the desire to achieve their goals was obtained by Professor Ms. Pamela Flores Aro, a distinction that was given by the Academic Director of the Puerto Montt Campus, Mg. Sandra Burgos.
Along with this, since 2017 the EPED Seal award was incorporated in memory of the student Antonella Arévalo Rupertus, who represented the spirit and values of the degree such as solidarity, proactivity, commitment and dedication to her peers, students and community. This award was received by Professor Javiera Chaura Santibáñez, recognition that was delivered by Dr. Pilar Contreras Parraguez.
The recognition for the best classmate of the generation, chosen by her peers, went to María José Navarro Barría, a distinction that was given by the Director of the School of Pedagogy in Differential Education, Mg. Fabiola Contreras Saez.
Finally, the Differential Education Professor Ms. Javiera Chaura Santibáñez spoke on behalf of her colleagues, recalling that they had not seen each other for two years, that the social crisis added to the pandemic meant that they did not have face-to-face classes together again and recalled the last class attendance. «That day we left early due to the riots and did not return until our thesis defense. We left in third and came back in fifth. Without a doubt, it has not been easy, but the crisis also teaches us to discover opportunities to learn and innovate. It was in March 2017 that they came to the UACh to learn with a single purpose, learn to teach, and they did it successfully.
Graduates
Nahely Roxana Aguilar Vidal, Daniela Soledad Álvarez Ríos, Constanza Rocío Andrade Águila, Camila Jazmín Bravo Almonacid, Maverik Yessenia Cadin Remolcoy, Patricia Fernanda Cárdenas Herrera, Dannae Loren Cerda Labarca, Javiera Milena Chaura Santibáñez, Pamela Alejandra Flores Aros, Carolina Yasmín Flores Bahamonde, Emilia Jeanette Gonzalez Coronado, Karen Dalva Gutiérrez Alvarado, Romina Andrea Leiva Vera, Fernanda Antonieta Medel Velásquez, María Antonieta Miranda Almonacid, Daniela Natalia Muñoz Molina, María José Navarro Barría, Pamela Fernanda Ñancupil Millahual, Javiera Andrea Ojeda Teuquil, Bárbara Esperanza Ruiz Velásquez, Javier Enrique Saldivia Solís, José Felipe Santana Haro, Karina Andrea Tapia Contreras, María Ebel Triviño Torres, Karin Valeria Trujillo Hernández, Belén Yanette Valenzuela Schnabel, Camila Consta Vargas Vargas Genesis,Camila Andrea Velásquez Navarro, Valentina Paz Véliz Iturra, María José Vera Bahamonde, Paula Cecilia Villanueva Velásquez and Daniela Paulina Zambrano Pedraza.