The Rural Education Model With Escuela Nueva and the Universidad en el Campo in Colombia

Abstract

Developed collaboratively by the Caldas Coffee Growers’ Committee, the Government of Caldas, university institutions, government agencies and public and private companies, the Rural Education with New School Model is a pedagogical proposal that has brought formal education from pre-school to higher education to rural inhabitants of the department of Caldas, Colombia. The model aims to be flexible and adaptable to the circumstances of children, adolescents and young people in this region of the Eje Cafetero, stimulating the construction of life projects that facilitate and promote their permanence in rural territories. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the scope and limitations of the Escuela Nueva (EN) Rural Education Model in Caldas by describing the general characteristics of the EN, identifying particularities of its implementation and examining the testimonies of graduates of the University in the field. The primary information that feeds the study comes from interviews with young people in various rural localities in the Department of Caldas. The results of the study analyse the possibilities for educational inclusion that the Universidad en el Campo has opened up for young people, as well as the achievements and challenges faced by this model, which has sought to be replicated in other Colombian departments and even in other countries. This chapter’s findings highlight the importance of examining educational experiences developed at the departmental level and the fact that the Rural Education with New School Model offers continuity from pre-school to university level to rural children, adolescents and young people, following certain pedagogical principles. This is uncommon in urban and rural regions of Latin America.

Citation

Bolaños, D.J. (2024), "The Rural Education Model With Escuela Nueva and the Universidad en el Campo in Colombia", Romero-Contreras, S., Garcìa-Cedillo, I. and Moreno-Medrano, L.M. (Ed.) Intercultural and Inclusive Education in Latin America (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 24), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 197-214. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620240000024013