IS EDUCATION A RIGHT OR A SERVICE IN COLOMBIA? A system for the reproduction of social inequalities

Abstract

Education is still an important instrument of public policy and a cultural mechanism. However, depending on different conditions, it can be a scenario for constant exclusion in society or the promoter of social development, innovation, science, and technology. The starting question of this reflection article seeks to know how education is approached: is it a right or a service that reproduces social inequalities in Colombia? To answer this, this paper is divided into four parts. The first is a brief introduction contextualizing the identified problem. The second one presents the causes that originate the system for the reproduction of social inequalities in the education system based on two hypotheses raised by García Villegas and Gómez-Estrada. These are: i) the confrontation between liberal and conservative parties that conditions the State-Church relationship when implementing an educational model; and ii) the continuous tension between governments, teachers’ unions and university students who defend leftist political ideas. The third part contains a descriptive analysis on segregation in terms of quality and class of the national education system, which comprises early childhood education, primary education (elementary school), lower secondary and upper secondary education (middle school and high school), and post-secondary or tertiary education (higher education). Finally, conclusions and final considerations are made.