Chile's Senate passes key educational reform bill

SANTIAGO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a key educational reform bill designed to make a university degree accessible to all Chileans.

The reform, which will exempt 60 percent of university students from paying college admission fees and tuition, was perhaps the biggest campaign promise made by President Michelle Bachelet, when she made her second run for office in 2013. She initially served from 2006 to 2010.

"With this, we would be fulfilling the president's mandate and the commitment she made to the country," Education Minister Adriana del Piano said.

Bachelet's pledge to reform education arguably got her reelected, after the pro-business government of Sebastian Pinera (2010 to 2014) angered students by embarking on a campaign to further privatize education, sparking mass protests in 2011.

Pinera, who is looking to win back the presidency in a tightly contested runoff this Sunday, is now backing the reform he once rejected as too expensive. Pinera's rival is progressive candidate Alejandro Guillier. Enditem