Education Does Have a Future: Observations on the “10-Year Plan 2026–2035”

Pursuant to Article 72 of Act 115, 1994, the Ministry of National Education (men) must prepare the National Educational Development Plan. The men must do so “in coordination with local authorities.” The men must prepare the National Educational Development Plan “at least every ten years.” The National Educational Development Plan must include the necessary measures to comply with constitutional and legal mandates. These mandates are regarding the provision of educational services. Consequently, the men has been developing the National Ten-Year Education Plan since March 2025, with the aim of establishing the conditions for developing public education policy.

This is the fourth plan developed since 1996. It aims to promote a pluralistic and critical national dialogue about central issues related to the education we have and the education we need. Unlike previous plans (1996–2005, 2006–2016, and 2016–2026), this Fourth Ten-Year Plan differs substantially in its principles, objectives, and methodological approach, at least in the following issues:

1. The purpose is to open dialogues with the community, listen to different regions, recognize cultural diversity, and give voice to those regions. This involves learning about alternative educational approaches, collaborating with local communities, and working with social organizations to promote recognition and guarantee of the right to education as a foundation for the country’s social transformation. This initiative acknowledges that the public sector cannot function without the participation of the communities involved.
2. This plan has brought together institutions, social groups, academics, researchers, community educators, mayors, and governors to promote ownership of and commitment to the nation and its culture among all involved. Notably, fecode and the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional have joined the process, and the National Forum and the Third National Pedagogical Congress, held in November 2025, will be key references for its development and analysis.
3. Due to the urgent regulation of the General Participation System (SGP) reform approved by Legislative Act 03 of 2024, it is now possible to legally bind the financing of the Ten-Year Plan—something that had not been achieved in previous plans. This achievement establishes a structural foundation and guides a democratic government to strengthen education.
4. Methodologically, we moved beyond the entrenched practice of just limiting participation to surveys, tallied responses, reported percentages, and legitimized a quantitative, instrumental approach that compares, excludes, creates hierarchies, and discriminates. Instead, we initiated regional dialogue through plenary sessions, roundtables, forums, and panels where experiences and lessons learned were systematized. Eleven thematic roundtables engaged in this process: curriculum, rural education, teacher training, environmental education, women and the LGBTIQ+ community, diversity in education, early childhood education, special education, community and territorial education, excellence in higher education, and youth and adult education. Their conclusions and recommendations were compiled and presented through twenty action plans. This document is based on three pillars: the full guarantee of the right to education, the building of public knowledge for social transformation, and the strengthening of public education financing.

The latest developments in the document reflect an educational vision that promotes social transformation by engaging all social actors in order to overcome the limitations of an instrumental and narrow vision based on market needs and the treatment of human beings as human capital—a concept that is currently being debated.

UPN has supported this process by assembling a team of faculty members and experts. Drawing on the intellectual framework of pedagogy, this team provides guidance, drafts documents, offers advice, and makes recommendations. They interpret all the dialogue forums and transform the polyphony of voices into a legitimate roadmap for education policy over the next decade. As part of the Joint Commission, which comprises forty-two organizations, the University contributes to the development of the plan by providing a structured and critical interpretation of the collective that will be expressed through events, conferences, plenary sessions, panels, and technical roundtables. This process culminates in the monitoring and evaluation system.

There are still issues to be resolved and topics to be explored in greater depth that we have been discussing with the Ministry of Education (men). These include the quality of education, teacher training policy, adequate funding, school and university governance, curriculum reform, and the teaching staff. Most importantly, we must align the Fourth Ten-Year Plan with the new national government’s education policies and programs.