Role of higher education in Colombia in peacebuilding

Abstract

This is a reflection that attempts to analyze the role of universities in Colombia during the peacebuilding process. It is necessary to state out the relevant practices that the educational community has been used to empower education during war times. Moreover, it is critical to understand several facts that Colombian higher education has faced during the conflict and the post-conflict. The circumstances that the education in Colombian has been exposed to is just a sign that interventions and improvements are necessary to achieve a sustainable peace were minorities, students who have been victims of the conflict, and individuals that need support through education opportunities need to be a priority. It is important to know how instructional practices have become key tools that contribute to peacebuilding by the teaching of moral values, principles, concepts about the importance of the family, knowledge about good aspects of citizenship, and culture, and leadership strategies which enhance learners’ attitudes towards becoming citizens able to build a strong society that guarantees a positive future to its generations. This article shows that peace education is an essential element in achieving a sustainable peace around Colombia, where thousands of learners have been affected by the war that has frustrated their dreams and has hypnotized their hopes of living in a secure country where the possibilities to achieve a successful future turn each time further. This reflection is a resource for students and teachers to dig in their daily practices and interiorize the manners in which they can contribute positively to peacebuilding from the academy.