Next Government: The Last Frontier for Education
The next government that will manage Colombia, and I am referring specifically to the government headed by ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA or PALOMA VALENCIA, in that order, discarding any possibility of other 'fronts,' will be the last frontier, the last ratio, to save and vindicate our country's education, which is going through one of the poorest periods in its history, facing a truly suffocating crisis and evolutionary disconnection.
TL;DR
- Only 13% of students entering 10th and 11th grade achieve the expected basic learning outcomes.
- The net coverage rate for secondary education in 2024 was 50.52%, with a downward trend.
- Only 23% of students pass the Saber 11 tests with the expected competencies, showing vast regional inequalities.
- Approximately 800 private schools are closing due to declining birth rates, unrecoverable debt, and rising labor costs.
- Young people are reconsidering higher education, favoring entrepreneurship, informal work, and short-term training due to uncertain returns on investment.
- ASCUN is urging the new government to address access, retention, financing, and completion of higher education through strategic policy lines.
- Key proposed reforms include reducing student dropout rates, strengthening public education, ensuring legal security for private education, and aligning academic programs with labor market needs.
- ASCUN emphasizes that investing in all levels of education is crucial for the country's democracy, economy, institutions, and future generations.