The slide rule was replaced by the calculator and the typewriter by the computer, fax eliminated Telex, the sextant was replaced by GPS, which was connected to a set of high-precision wireless applications, and finally, written letters were replaced by email and social networks.

The internet merged information technology with knowledge, which became instantaneous, free and globalized. Communication has changed the world, synchronizing societies and equalizing free access, allowing people to connect quickly and efficiently. This accelerated evolution has taken place just in the last few decades, transforming our society.

Developed countries will grow more slowly, since they have already reached a high level of well-being. The rest of the world is breaking out in revolutions to achieve this level of development. What appears to be a focus of social activism, to improve education, health and insurance, can sometimes have a second interpretation. In developed countries, foundations and donation laws allow the creation of public and private research centers, which help incorporate recent graduates into the labor market, since first they must work in these establishments, thereby decompressing job vacancies and maintaining stable employment levels. These are models worthy of imitation.

Education in Chile is going through a profound transformation, including educating teachers on how to teach under this new dynamic, in which we live in the real and virtual world simultaneously, with three billion people connected through social networks and cell phones. We must also be prepared for the 50 billion machines that will be linked up via bluetooth, WiFi, internet and other means in the next five years. The refrigerator will communicate with the vacuum and television, the coffee maker with the oven, and everything will be online, including the car. We will synchronize our lives to machines. Robots, which we used to imagine as mechanical men, already exist and interact with us in a different way. Just look at how we manage our entire lives from a cell phone or wireless tablet. This will bring progress, large-scale economies and, above all, a radical change in our society and education.

This is why the current protests do not respond to traditional action in organizing or containing them. They are not about patching holes, but rather changing the structure itself. They are not about the question of profit, but rather about radically changing education, placing it at a level that from now on will measure how outdated our citizens are when facing the world. Moreover, the tremendous growth of communications requires us to keep all available versions and systems updated.

Adapting our educational system to the current reality is necessary now, and the longer we delay, the more difficult it will be to make the great leap necessary in this area. We must modernize classrooms, libraries, texts, electronic equipment, teachers, students, and above all engender in the community a desire to learn the truth.

Bringing the aforementioned up to date will allow us to consolidate the Chilean educational system, which will be reflected in the future professionals entering the labor market. Standards will not be those imposed by educational institutions, but rather those needed by the employer, who ultimately represents the actual demand for employment. We must re-educate our teachers, systematically evaluating them, as is done with students. Practical digital content consistent with the times should be provided, opening a space for the students for technology, research and development, and building entrepreneurship.