By: Katerin Erazo, Journalist
Photo taken from: El Espectador
The national strike of educators, summoned by the Colombian Federation of Education Workers (FECODE) on June 10, is still underway. The demonstration, which began on June 12, has seen teachers from all over the country take to the streets in protest against the legislative process that has been taking place in the Senate of the Republic to the papers that are being proposed to the Statutory Law of Education. The union has scheduled four days of demonstrations, culminating in a large mobilization in Bogotá this Monday, June 17.
During June 12, 13 and 14, teachers from various cities joined together in what they called the “Permanent National Teachers’ Strike.” Banners and slogans have been seen in the main cities, reflecting discontent with the legislative modifications that, according to educators, threaten the quality and equity of education in the country. Today, the Colombian capital is the epicenter of these protests, with concentrations scheduled at strategic points in the south, north, east and west of the city.
For today’s day, FECODE called on teachers and supporters at 9 in the morning at four specific points: the Manuela Beltrán School in the north, in front of the SENA in the south, the IED Enrique Olaya Herrera School in the east, and the National University in the west. From these points, the protesters marched towards the Plaza de Bolívar, where they hope to make their voices heard before Congress and the Ministry of Education.
The District Association of Education Workers (ADE) has emphasized that the national teaching profession will maintain its resistance until the Senate plenary session ends. “Colombia needs a draft statutory law that regulates education with a pedagogical, reflective, critical, intelligent nature, exactly the opposite of the opposition, which was the one that proposed the amendments. Here we will continue in the fight in the ‘National Strike for Education’,” FECODE stated in its official statements.
The protest is not directed against the government of President Gustavo Petro, who has had the support of FECODE. However, the union firmly rejects the legislative changes that affect the education reform bill. Among the main concerns is article 39, which establishes the mandatory nature of teaching evaluation based on student results in state tests, such as Saber 11.
This measure is seen by educators as unfair and unrepresentative of their work. In addition, other controversial amendments include the implementation of educational vouchers, which could limit academic freedom and establish a single curriculum. Educators fear that these measures will compromise the diversity and quality of the Colombian educational system.
The Statutory Education Law, one of the pillars of the Petro Government, seeks to guarantee education as a fundamental right, regulating it from early childhood to higher education. The reform aims to improve the coverage, quality and relevance of the educational system. Despite the initial support and approval in the third debate on June 5, FECODE’s opposition has complicated the situation.
In a recent interview with Pares, Miguel Pardo of FECODE expressed his concern about the current bills related to the Statutory Education Law. According to Pardo, “this is no longer an amendment, but rather two bills: one presented by the opposition and the other by the Historical Pact benches and other progressive groups. However, both projects maintain the essence of what the famous amendment was.”
Pardo pointed out that one of the most worrying points is the denial of the right of three, four and five-year-old boys and girls to receive compulsory preschool education in public schools. “This implies dissolving the three essential grades of preschool into an initial education that spans from zero to six years, which is a significant setback,” she stated. Furthermore, he criticized the possibility of non-educational institutions assuming the education of these children, which, in his opinion, represents a lack of knowledge of the social function of the school.
Another central aspect of his criticism is the delivery of public resources to private institutions and foundations, which, according to Pardo, “weakens public schools and subtracts public assets.” He argued that this allows the appointment of teachers without competition, which contravenes the principle of merit that should govern the hiring of teachers.
Regarding financing, Pardo mentioned that one of the projects proposes that the State prioritize the delivery of resources to private institutions, something that he described as a serious error based on the experience of the “Ser Pilo Paga” program, which, according to him , failed to benefit a small number of students at the cost of defunding public education.
Finally, Pardo expressed his rejection of the proposal to create a “tertiary education” without prior debate and without academic support, which, according to him, would dissolve higher education and other forms of education into an incoherent model. He also noted that teachers are already rigorously evaluated, and that new outcome-linked evaluation proposals ignore the socioeconomic factors that affect student performance.
FECODE advocates for the collapse of the current projects and the development of a new proposal with the participation of the educational and academic community. “You cannot legislate behind the backs of those who know about the subject,” Pardo stressed, emphasizing FECODE’s long history and experience in promoting public educational policies in Colombia.
For her part, the Minister of Education, Aurora Vergara, faces a crucial week in which the project must pass its last debate before June 20. The tension around this reform is palpable, and the mobilization in Bogotá is seen as a decisive effort by educators to influence the final vote.
According to the analysis of Sebastián Solano, coordinator of the Youth at Risk Line of the Peace & Reconciliation Foundation (Pares), the legislative process of the Statutory Education Reform Law faces tensions between Congress, the Ministry of Education and various sectors. .
These tensions arose after the breakdown of conciliation between the senators of the first committee, resulting in a bill that provoked strong criticism and mobilizations last week. Now, the outlook is uncertain due to the two papers that will be discussed this week in plenary: one, led by the opposition, which proposes a model of mixed education and education for work; and the other, led by the government coalition, which seeks to resolve the structural and historical problems of public education in Colombia.
However, the mobilized sectors claim that neither of the two presentations reflects the educational model agreed upon in the formulation of this reform. Solano explains that there are three possible scenarios:
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That the government coalition’s presentation be approved and consultation tables be established to reach agreements with the mobilized sectors.
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That the coalition’s presentation be approved, which could intensify the mobilizations and turn it into another failed reform of the Petro government.
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May both presentations be rejected this week and the debate will restart in the next legislature.
The coordinator of the Youth Line mentions that, although this last scenario could seem favorable for many sectors, the slowness of a reform that aims to implement numerous changes is worrying, especially considering that the Petro government is already about to conclude its first two years.
FECODE leaders maintain that the proposed modifications negatively affect their work and the fight for quality public education, an objective they consider essential for the development of the country. The pressure on the Senate is intense, and the decision made this week will have a significant impact on Colombia’s educational future.
As the marches advance and debate is held in Congress, this week’s outcome will be crucial in determining the direction of education in Colombia. The teachers, firm in their conviction, continue their fight, hoping that their demands will be heard and attended to.
