CRE PowerPoint Presentation
Type of Organization(s) [government or non-government organizations such as universities]:
Government
Organization Contact Information:
Citizenship Education Program
Ministry of Education
Calle 26 # 45-11
Centro Administrativo Nacional (CAN)
Bogotá, Colombia
Tel: (571) 222 2800 ext. 2105
Fax: ( 571) 222 2800 ext. 2113
Email:acepeda@mineducacion.gov.co
adricepeda@cable.net.co
Web site:www.mineducacion.gov.co
www.colombiaaprende.edu.co
Contact Person(s):
Adriana Cepeda, Consultant
Summary
As a response to the historical conflict in Colombia, educators and researchers throughout the country have created educational initiatives to construct a culture of peace and of respect for human rights. Learning to resolve conflicts peacefully, not to avoid them or to oppress or destroy other human beings, is a fundamental concern for Colombia, as for the international community.
Description of Organization’s Work in CRE
In light of this concern, and in accordance with the National Constitution and the 1994 Law of Education, in 2004, the Ministry of Education of Colombia launched national standards of quality for citizenship education in schools as a component of the policy for the quality of education. The main purpose of the standards is to promote children’s development of cognitive, emotional and communicative skills that together, along with the needed knowledge, allow children to participate constructively and critically in a democratic society; to resolve conflicts peacefully, to participate responsibly, to understand social diversity as an opportunity to grow and live together and to promote and protect human rights. The standards are formulated per grade and divided into three large groups within the human rights framework: peace and "convivencia" (living together), democratic participation and responsibility, and the value of diversity. Conflict resolution is a key component of the citizenship competencies standards.
Legislation and Policy Initiatives
Schools and Universities in Colombia are autonomous and define their own curriculums. The Ministry of Education establishes national education policy and supports the implementation of this policy. The Citizenship Education team at the Ministry is responsible for the implementation of citizenship education policy in the country. The goal of the Ministry is to promote the incorporation of high-quality citizenship education in school curriculum and school culture all over the country.
To work toward achieving this, the Ministry follows a cycle of educational quality. It published the standards of quality for citizenship education and trains teachers all over the country on their understanding and use. It a ssesses citizenship competencies of 5 th and 9 th graders nationwide (the first test was applied on November 3 rd, 2003), with the Prueba Saber, a test on Citizenship Competencies, every 2 to 3 years. The Ministry supports school’s improvement plans with the help of the regional Secretaries of Education. It offers learning opportunities for schools: teacher training, publications, educational TV and radio, and acts as intermediary for the creation and application of structured programs developed by NGO’s, Universities and the private sector, among other initiatives. The Ministry also organizes national opportunities for the exchange of school’s significant experiences in citizenship competencies development, such as the National Forum on Citizenship Competencies in which 121 of the best educational initiatives from all over the country, many from rural areas, participated on October 25-26, 2004 in Bogotá.
The Ministry recognizes the importance of working with NGO’s, Universities and private businesses to create a national movement to promote citizenship education. The Citizenship Education team at the Ministry invited leading NGO’s with high-quality educational programs (conflict resolution, peer mediation, democracy, among others) to train teachers in 7 cities of the country from October 27-29, 2004. The team is currently finishing the preparation of a portfolio of high-quality educational programs to develop citizenship competencies in schools (many implemented by NGO’s) which will be posted on the Ministry’s website and sent to the regional Secretaries de Education. This portfolio includes programs created outside Colombia which develop citizenship competencies. The Ministry is also exploring other ways to support these programs and to strengthen alliances with NGO’s, Universities and the private sector.
A University Colloquium was held on September 16 th - 17 th, 2004 , in Bogotá, to promote reflection and discussion about citizenship education in Colombian Universities and about the role of the University in the promotion of citizens that participate actively in our country and internationally. Over 1000 people attended. The Ministry is currently planning an Internet Network for Universities working on citizenship education.
The Ministry team has trained over 6000 teachers on citizenship competencies in the past year and plans to continue and improve teacher training during 2005. Another of this years challenges is to strengthen the national program and to broaden and strengthen international alliances. The Organization of American States sponsored an international workshop in April 2005 on the Colombian citizenship education policy for delegates from the Ministries of Education of the continent and we plan to continue to work together with other countries on citizenship education initiatives.
Resources
In addition to the Educational Internet Portal (www.colombiaaprende.edu.co), the Ministry has also supported many publications on citizenship education, among them:
- Ministry of Education (2004) “Formar para la Ciudadanía Sí es Posible!” (Citizenship Education is possible!), Bogotá.
- Chaux, Lleras & Velásquez (2004). “Competencias Ciudadanas: de los estándares al aula. Una propuesta de integración de las áreas académicas.” (Citizenship Competencies: from standards to the classroom. A proposal to integrate academic areas), Ministry of Education and University of Los Andes, Bogotá.
- “Quince Experiencias para Aprender Ciudadanía… y una más” (Fifteen experiences to learn citizenship… and one more”) (2004), Ministry of Education and Businesses for Education Foundation, Bogotá.
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