7/31/2019 PREG_01

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Alvaro: Sergio, what do you think the president Juan Manuel Santos is implying by saying to

promote a better educational quality?

Sergio: The reform is supposed to generate the conditions so there will be a better

educational offer through enhancing the academic programs quality and increasing

resources. Is it me or he never says what conditions everybody knows what theyare, but to him are they the same?, it is true that the academic programs have

flaws, but they are the result of the problems that have nothing to do with the

universities, for example: the Colombian government has not fulfilled its

commitment with the Universidad Pedaggica Nacional, outcome of the Law 1224,

where 2.600 million were dwindled from the budget to the UPN.

Alvaro: And what about to increase resources?

Sergio: Andhere comes the ominous part of the pillars, increasing resources from where,when the presidenthimself says in order to do that, a huge amount of money is

needed and nobody gives away anything without having something in mind and

wanting something in exchange. Also, he says that it is focused to make more

Colombian people to graduate from Higher Education and then what? Where are

they going to land when they are graduated? The president Juan Manuel Santos

probably wants more taxi drivers with degrees, with due respect to the taxi drivers

community. So he adds that public education with the intention of being

competitive must acknowledge the possibility to have private resources and that

according to him is not to privatize, but to invest and I quote: Public education, if

wants to be competitive, cannot deny the possibility of private investment sources.

And that, to be clear, does not mean privatization, but to invest. Of course I want to

avoid misunderstandings. What we are proposing seeks, quite simply, the privatesector reach into the pocket for the benefit of public higher education, and in

alliance with it, without this representing a weight of only additional cost to the

student. Quite the contrary! The benefits of partnerships will improve the quality of

training and research6. Higher education institutions for profit, it does not sound

right right?, it will cost its soul.

Alvaro: And finally,An education in line with regional and international reality

Sergio: This point at a first glance seems ok, grant the possibility to students, professors

and researchers to move away to other countries to continue major studies and

develop projects. Although, I do not know if that is possible, because our reality is

way too different from international reality.