Universidad Pedagógica Nacional–Our future and a new building

This building is poised to become a hub for educational and administrative activities. It can accommodate over 1,200 Fine Arts students as well as the new extension office. Our University and the community will benefit from the relationships forged in these collaborative spaces with local groups. We strongly believe that change in our country should be based on education, democracy, human rights, and peace.

A year ago, I took over as Rector of our university with a motto that still describes us today. “For a university that cares about our future.” But it is more than a motto; it is a statement of principles. We are the only institution in Colombia devoted to training teachers–the real drivers of social change.

Along this path, we have restored the UPN’s nationwide nature. Currently, we are developing programs in the Magdalena area of Cundinamarca and strengthening historically overlooked areas, including Catatumbo, Arauca, Sucre, and Amazonas. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, we are expanding educational access to areas that have never had a public university, thereby bridging the gap between secondary and higher education.

Thanks to our collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Knowledge, we have implemented projects such as Sounds for Peace, which reached over four thousand artists, and Dance and Movement, which supported more than thirteen thousand children in 130 institutions. Through the Integrated System of Secondary and Higher Education (SIMES), we partnered with the Ministry of Education to merge 227 schools and increase enrollment by more than 2,900 students in remote areas of the country.

The first year of the University’s management program has also been a year of financial achievements. Thanks to the National Government’s support and our rigorous management, our liquidity indicators have improved dramatically, and our negative risk rating has been removed. We have increased institutional equity by nearly 78 billion Colombian pesos while reducing rent expenses by over 68 percent, by generating annual savings of 2.65 billion Colombian pesos. These savings have been reinvested in infrastructure, welfare, and the teacher validation process.

This is the first time in our 70-year history that we have fully recognized labor rights, including vacation time, bonuses, and extended service periods for teachers. Although we still face budgetary constraints, we are working with the National Government and union organizations to fulfill this commitment responsibly.

The UPN’s engagement goes beyond the nationwide scope. We restate our solidarity with the Palestinian people, and we are committed to education as a pathway to peace. For this reason, we signed an agreement with the University of Birzeit in Palestine.

In a letter to his teacher Simón Rodríguez, the Liberator Simón Bolívar wrote, “You shaped my heart for freedom, justice, greatness, and beauty. I followed the path toward which you pointed me.” This statement embodies the ethos that guides us as members of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional as well as the model and temperance that we strive to embody as teachers.

We are committed to strengthening the public university because we received it as a public institution, and we will hand it over as a stronger public institution.