Chilean president Michelle Bachelet said that free higher education in Chile is "a right, and not a gift." This will go into effect in 2016 after more than three decades of students having to pay for their tuition in order to pursue higher education. The President of Chile said in an official statement on Monday that the country has always viewed the pursuit of higher education as a right, and the administration believes in strongly moving ahead with granting the right of free education. Fox News Latino reports that this year, around 165,000 students will be enjoying the new measure. Ba