Suggestions for the Upcoming Government: Education in Voting Period

A democratic government’s key elements are an ethical and political imperative that cannot be avoided during election season. Education, rooted in the tradition of Aristotle, transcends mere learnedness. Those who aspire to govern and pursue a better society should link it to justice, prudence, wisdom, fortitude, and temperance as the main goals.

We are shaped by our education. Education and culture are inextricably linked. This is why an emancipatory education that inspires hope is crucial during dark times, such as those marked by global wars, institutionalized xenophobia, structural racism, and rising imperialism.

Despite its ambiguous conception as both a service defined by market competition and a progressive right due to the state’s duties, Colombia has made great strides in education. Thanks to the efforts of educational communities –especially students and teachers– progress has been made by reimagining the right to education. This new perspective views education as both a fundamental right and a common good.

The current Administration has taken steps to strengthen public higher education, particularly in terms of access for historically excluded groups based on geography and demographics. Notably, the government has allocated 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to ensure the sustainability of public higher education. This was accomplished by enacting Law 2568, which stemmed from a government initiative to modify articles 86 and 87 of Law 30 of 1992.

However, profound inequalities persist that prevent the right to education from being fully realized. Topics requiring collective thought include equitable territorial coverage, early childhood care, rural education, adult education, teacher training, human rights education, the relationship between education policy and peacebuilding, curricular transformations in the face of the challenges of glocalization, and training in the face of technological change. Reflecting on these issues will allow us to develop courses of action that lead to adjustments in public education policy. In this way, education becomes a lifelong endeavor and a state policy that fosters democracy and the well-being of our country.

To comply with Article 72 of Law 115 of 1994, the Ministry of National Education is developing a Ten-Year Education Plan (2026-2036). The Plan will guide educational policy over the next decade in the face of new challenges and issues. It emphasizes the importance of citizen participation, as well as the involvement of social organizations, public and private entities, institutions, research centers, political parties, unions, professional associations, families, and society as a whole in its design and development.

The Universidad Pedagógica Nacional advised on this initiative and provided the Ministry with a team of experts. Drawing on their research experience, the team is exploring academic, pedagogical, evaluative, and didactic methods and strategies. The team is doing this to hear the voices of the regions, recognize their popular and critical education processes, and systematize them. These efforts will lay the foundation for public policy on education and teacher training. The Ten-Year Plan is like a large map: orderly, with clear coordinates, and emphasizing an ecosystemic approach with three axes: 1) the right to education; 2) adequate public funding; and 3) education for social transformation and life in democracy.

In light of the upcoming elections, and given the current context, we call on the new President to consider the following in their government plan:

1. Incorporate the Ten-Year Education Plan into the new Developmental Plan.
2. Reinstate the Statutory Law on Education to cover the full spectrum of education, from early childhood to higher education, on the legislative agenda.
3. Regulate the General Participation System (SGP) to ensure complementarity in educational financing and the right to water.
4. Transform quality assurance to guide institutional educational projects in addressing territorial issues and the country’s development.
5. Develop a serious, documented proposal on pedagogy and public policy for teacher training. Consider the current challenges facing higher education, such as low birth rates, technological gaps, and the excessive flexibility and deregulation of the training system. These challenges may threaten lifelong learning.
6. Link full funding for science and technology to knowledge and teacher training for a national project.
7. Establish academic and scientific relationships within the framework of internationalization and university diplomacy, based on reciprocity and solidarity, to defend human rights.
8. Take clear initiatives to enhance the dignity of the teaching profession.