For over thirty years, Chile has been implementing reforms and policies aimed at improving educational efficiency, quality and equity. The latter has been of particular interest over the last decade. The quality and quantity of data available in Chile allows us to explore the evolution of learning gaps among students according to their socioeconomic background over increasingly longer periods of time. The findings of this study indicate positive changes in the distribution of learning achievement according to student socioeconomic level or, in other words, educational equity.

We analyze the relationship between education and employment in Suriname, using data from a 2007 IDB household survey (representative nationally and at the level of three macro areas: Urban Coast, Rural Coast and Interior). We find that education brings returns in terms of both likelihood of employment (particularly for women) and higher earnings. Completed primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and tertiary education increase the probability of employment by 12%, 19%, 86% and 84% respectively, relative to the base category of no-schooling or incomplete primary.

This presentation was commissioned by the Education Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue for the IX Hemispheric Meeting celebrated on November 8th and 9th, 2006. This presentation concerns the Negotiation conducted in 2000 between the Chilean government, through the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and the teachers, led by the Colegio de Profesores (CP), the Chilean National Teachers Association.