Jenny Assael: an indispensable educator

We have lost Jenny Assael, an indispensable educator, both for her insightful research and analysis of social, political, and educational processes, and for her unwavering commitment to defending students and teachers, and the right to education. The numerous awards and tributes she received in recent months attest to the magnitude of her legacy.

Jenny was an academic at the University of Chile, dedicated to the study of educational policies, teaching practices, and pedagogical approaches. Her work is a benchmark in these fields, but the academic world alone can never fully capture the immense and profound impact she had on so many who studied with her, grew up alongside her, or shared projects and struggles with her. Her rigor and convictions, intertwined with solidarity and affection, made Jenny a particularly significant figure in a world increasingly characterized by competitive and individualistic practices.

Jenny was synonymous with collective building. She was one of the founders of this Working Group and a key figure in the Latin American Network for Studies on Teaching Work (Red ESTRADO). The magical patio of her house, where she always welcomed visitors with overflowing affection and generosity, was the place where many of the initiatives developed by this Working Group over the last 25 years were conceived and defined.

None of us who started working in this Group would be what we became if it weren't for Jenny always being there, by our side, pushing, putting in energy, ideas, proposals; always willing to organize the best that people can do to feel alive: giving to friendship, to solidarity, to the future.

Jenny Assael has just passed away, and we all feel that this already cloudy world has grown even grayer, but that her path should inspire and strengthen us. She leaves us with her laughter, her struggle, her unforgettable embrace. She was an immense woman—sweet, generous, and kind.

Farewell, dear colleague and friend. We will miss you dearly, but no one can take away the wealth of having learned from your strength and having shared the journey with you for so many years.

18th September 2024
CLACSO Working Group
Educational policies and the right to education

This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.