The Ministry of National Education (MEN) and the Industrial University of Santander (UIS) officially launched the articulation process of the strategy “Es en tu Cole”, which seeks to transform access to higher education in regions of eastern and southeastern Colombia where university presence has historically been minimal.
Thanks to this initiative, 150 tenth- and eleventh-grade students from public schools in San José del Guaviare (Guaviare), Puerto Carreño (Vichada), Mitú (Vaupés), and Saravena (Arauca) will be able to simultaneously pursue their high school studies and the Professional Technician program in Agroindustrial Production, offered by UIS through a system of sequential cycles. Upon completing high school, they will receive a double degree: high school graduates and professional technicians.
The opening session was led by UIS Rector Hernán Porras Díaz and John Emerson Espitia, leader of the strategy at the Ministry, together with principals and teachers who will accompany the training in the territories.
Espitia highlighted the institutional commitment: “The Ministry of Education thanks UIS for rising to this challenge. The university has managed, in record time, to bring a quality academic offering to regions where other institutions have been hesitant. Through this joint effort we are transforming realities and creating opportunities for young people.”
For his part, UIS Rector Hernán Porras Díaz reaffirmed the responsibility taken on by the university: “We are proud to reach these areas of eastern Colombia, from the eastern mountain range to the Venezuelan and Brazilian borders. It is our duty and our commitment to be present there with the full strength of our institution.”
Meanwhile, Jorge Villamizar, UIS coordinator in the territories, explained that the program is structured around sequential cycles: “Today UIS and the Ministry are delivering on their promise. Young people are beginning a process that will allow them to graduate as high school students and, at the same time, as professional technicians in agricultural production.”
With this strategy, the Ministry of Education and UIS are consolidating an innovative model that democratizes higher education, bringing real opportunities to remote communities and reaffirming the role of public universities as drivers of social and regional development.
Es en tu Cole
This strategy connects accredited public universities with public schools in remote areas of the country, offering technical training from within high school, guided by university professors and adapted to local conditions. Among its objectives are reducing access gaps, strengthening the transition from secondary to higher education, fostering territorial alliances, and encouraging scientific, technical, and technological vocations among young people from historically marginalized communities.
