EDUCATION
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
These three
aspects are composed of many factors, some of them impact positively and others
negatively; In my opinion they do negatively on our country are political,
corruption, inequality between rural and urban populations, war, the
educational model and the gap between rich and poor.
Those who
positively impact are: the diversity of all kind in Colombia, the leading role
of women in any society and globalization that opened borders of all kinds to
know and understand that there is a world outside full of opportunities and
effort that may someday get a better country.
In many of
these aspects is nothing that we can do, but at one another and it is our
obligation to do something; Education, this aspect transforms life and opens
paths and is our challenge as teachers prepare and give the best for our students
to help them achieve their goals, be better and change this country that we need
it.
I for one do believe that education can make a difference and diminish inequality in the society. Finland is a good example of that. The beginning of our independence almost 100 years ago was not a rosy one. The young nation ended up having a civil war. It has been said that one of the important tools in making my country unified was the elementary school system, where every child was included. School became the melting pot where wounds were (very gradually!) healed. My generation (born in the fifties) already grew up in a unified country, but my grandmother still carried the memories of the split country.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time I went to school elementary school was free, but there still was a split at the age of 11: some continued in the free system till sixth grade (in most parts of the country eight grade), but some went to grammar school, which was not free. Only the grammar school route lead to university. That is why there still are people in my generation, who missed the opportunity to study, because they could not sfford it.
In the younger generations that is not the case. From the 1970's on we have had comprehensive school, where everybody gets free education (including books, transportation and meal) till the end of secondary education. Also upper secondary education is tuition-free (and includes lunch), but one has to buy the books. Even higher education is free in Finland.
You actually don't have to know so much about the Finnish school system. I only wanted to share this as a supportive example: even in the country which is now concedered to be a model country of educational equality, the progres has taken place in a couple of generations. In my grandmothers time there was the civil war, in mother's time the second world war, in my time powerty still created educational inequality, but my sons have already gone to the same, free school with every other child their age. So, there is hope even in Colombia, as long as there is willingness to make it happen!