The countries of the region “have enormous possibilities to work together” in this regard: experts.
Faced with an environment of global uncertainty regarding our status as economic partners with North America , as well as unequal opportunities among citizens, it is appropriate that as Mexicans we stop looking up for a moment and shift our focus to our Latin American soul .
With this end in mind, the Tecnológico de Monterrey , Campus Monterrey, invited Colombian politician Gina Parody and the rector of the Universidad de los Andes de Colombia, Pablo Navas, to talk about what they considered a key issue for moving forward as a region: quality education.
During the discussion table Talent – equity: education and government in favor of the brightest minds , both characters affirmed that Latin American countries “have enormous possibilities to work together” in that sense and, to offer the public an example of how to achieve it, They shared the results of initiatives applied in their country.
The first is the Ser Pilo Paga program , whose main objective is to change the reality of young people with a future that “they do not decide themselves, but is defined by the place where they are born, that is, luck,” as Parody explained. This consists of awarding scholarships to the young people with the highest qualifications and who really need it. Those who obtain them “it is not by levers, it is truly by their merits,” added the former Minister of Education and former Senator of the Republic in Colombia.
“Let’s think about it like this: if we have an Olympic-size swimming pool and everyone has the same starting point, the one who arrives first is the one who has practiced the most, the one who tries the most, the most disciplined. But they all came from the same point. That’s what we tried to do, match the starting point, “he added.
For his part, Navas shared a model that is implemented within his institution called I Want to Study. This consists of supporting young people to study a quality higher education to push them to achieve their dreams.
The students commit both to the institution for the future and, according to their level of success, to return the aid received in the form of donations to promote a new generation. This ensures sustainability . The idea was born after the university “realized that the best investment that can be made from a social and financial point of view is to take those brilliant minds and give them a push,” commented the rector.