Academics agree: Peace is the result of quality education
See GalleryThe Education Session of CUMIPAZ 2017 carried out, as part of its second phase, a discussion panel entitled "Public Policies in Education: The Global Commitment to the Formation of Peaceful Societies".
This meeting was attended by deputy ministers from different countries of Latin America, where each one shared his opinion about the responsibility and commitment of public policies in the construction of a good education.
Senator Ciro Zabala, president of the Commission for Social Policy, Education, and Health of the Senate of Bolivia, was the moderator of this space.
Participation in decisions
Carlos Staff, Vice Minister of Education of the Republic of Panama, began his dissertation emphasizing the strong dropout of students because of the repulsion they have for the educational system. Likewise; he commented that peace has to do with participation in decision making.
"In teaching models (especially in adolescence) where there is already a capacity to make decisions, we do not take the students into account; it lies within the politicians or the parents, who define the model of education that we are going to give them."
On the other hand, he mentioned the Incheon 2015 meeting, where the ministers of education of the world declared that education must be of quality, that quality has to do with relevance, and that relevance has to do with certainty.
"These educational models must attend to early childhood, they must be attached to technical, professional and superior training, of quality; that is to say, that is concatenated with the reality of the student’s life,” he concluded.
Education is a right
The Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Guatemala, Hector Alejandro Canto, argued that in the academic field should be considered in principle, that education is a human right and every person should have access to it.
"Among all countries, we have the challenge to increase educational opportunities and summarize illiteracy in the world."
On the other hand, he stressed that one of the strategies of the National Education System in Guatemala is the national citizen formation in a culture of peace, citizenship and historical memory.
He finished his speech saying "The most prized public policy should be the happiness of children and the happiness of society as a whole".
Transform realities
José Arce Fariña, Vice Minister of Higher Education of the Republic of Paraguay, based his presentation on the current situation in his country, where students have been the protagonists of the transformational process of education in Paraguay.
"The historical situation put us before a scenario in which we have to act with determination to correct the endemic evils."
Likewise, he emphasized the importance of the creation of public policies that can incorporate indigenous peoples into higher education through agreements with public universities.
Growth possibilities
The Deputy Minister of Budget and Fiscal Accounting of the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance of Bolivia, Jaime Durán Chuquimia, spoke about education, the economy and its importance for peace.
During his speech, he stressed that poverty can be perpetuated from generation to generation and low levels of upward mobility are especially marked in the developing world.
"Maintaining a growing economy allows young people who study to better integrate into the world of work," he said.
“Mantener una economía en crecimiento permite que los jóvenes que estudian se integren de mejor manera al mundo del trabajo”, aseguró.
He concluded his presentation with reference to the words of Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank "the potential of thousands of children is being wasted because the economic situation of their parents continues to be a determining factor for their educational and social development".
