Ernesto Schiefelbein

Ernesto Schifelbein Fuenzalida (19 August 1934 – 26 January 2024) was a Chilean politician who served as minister. Similarly, in 2007, he was awarded the National Education Prize.

Schifelbein died in Santiago on 26 January 2024, at the age of 89.

Biography

He was the son of Ernesto Schiefelbein and Olga Fuenzalida, and was married to María Clara Grossi.

He qualified as a teacher at the Technical State University (UTE) and earned a degree in business administration from the University of Chile in 1960. He later received a doctorate in education from Harvard University in the United States in 1970.

As early as the 1960s, he was among the first education specialists in Chile to emphasize the importance of scientific research in the design of public policy. Throughout his career, he consistently relied on empirical evidence to improve the performance of teachers and students in the classroom.

During the administration of Eduardo Frei Montalva, he served as Director of Planning at the Ministry of Education under Minister Juan Gómez Millas, where he played an active role in the 1965 Chilean education reform. and also worked at the Center for Research and Development in Education of the Alberto Hurtado University.

In 2004, he received the Jan Amos Comenius Medal, awarded by UNESCO during the International Conference on Education in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 2007, the Chilean government awarded him the National Prize for Educational Sciences in recognition of his contributions to education.

In July 2011, he became rector of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, succeeding Teodoro Ribera, who had been appointed Minister of Justice.