Educational inclusion of migrant students in Chile: A critical-intercultural and index for inclusion appraisal of current regulations

In the context of the sustained increase in the migrant student population in Chile, this study examines the coherence between the national educational regulatory framework and the principles of critical interculturality and the Index for Inclusion. Drawing on a qualitative documentary analysis, the study reviews laws, decrees, circulars, and ministerial guidelines issued between 2009 and 2025, considering dimensions such as institutional management, curricular adaptation, school coexistence, and institutional commitment. The article develops a dual and complementary theoretical approach: while critical interculturality enables the examination of power relations and the production of otherness within educational policies, the Index for Inclusion provides an operational framework for identifying barriers and opportunities for participation. The findings reveal significant progress in the formalization of inclusive policies—such as provisional enrollment and Decree No. 83/2015—yet also persistent tensions related to cultural folklorization, insufficient teacher training, and the absence of mechanisms for intercultural participation. The study concludes that although the Chilean system has established a robust normative scaffolding, its transformative depth remains limited, underscoring the need for strategies that connect formal inclusion with epistemic justice.