Summary

When the first plan for a national high school curriculum was established in the Republic of Chile in 1843, an interesting educational alternative was presented by the provinces, and specifically by the city of Concepción. The provinces claimed that the curriculum prepared in Santiago, but which was to be applied in all the "liceos" of the country, was excessively centralistic, and based on the study of the humanities, with special emphasis on the study of Latin. The counterproposals from the provinces which were presented during most of the 19th century, indicated that the curricula should be adapted to the specific needs of each province, and oriented towards useful studies, in accordance with what has been widely recommended by the Spanish thinkers of the Enlightenment in the 18th century.