Claudia Aparicio, CEO at TIC4GOOG and Dividendo for Colombia, highlighted the case of Innova Schools in Peru in the context of CADE for Education

During the 8th edition of CADE for Education, Fundación Telefónica brought Claudia Aparicio, CEO of TIC4GOOG and Dividendo for Colombia, to Peru. Aparicio talked about the reasons that are leading lots of youngsters in the region to drop out of school, and the changes that must occur in education to modify this situation. These are examples of the most important concepts she talked about:

 “Several things have happened in Colombia, the new Minister of Education has a plan that is partly a continuation of the previous Minister’s plan. It includes developing and solving fundamental problems. With the support of McKinsey’s advice, a program called “Todos a Aprender” was designed; the schools that showed greater levels of backwardness were chosen, and a very strong accompaniment strategy was developed, which was quite positive.”

“The problem with PISA is that we have set aside laggard students and support them to get ahead, but we are not moving forward at the same speed other countries are. Therefore, results will not be encouraging. We are not making efforts in innovation and exceptional talents.”

“In Colombia, the coverage in the pre-school level is low. As far as I know, a few years ago it was around 40%, while in Peru it is over 90%.”

“Education must be analysed per level. In Colombia, initial education is moving forward. We have an early childhood law, which was recently passed, and coverage has grown, as it is over 60% now. The problem is that it is a five years process. We used to have a different, informal model, in which mothers were responsible, and now we are turning to a kindergarten model. We are growing, but the real challenge is quality. A problem with this change is that the drop-out rate is growing, and we believe we face a major challenge there.”

“Coverage is very high. We have a 94% net rate in primary school, but in high school the drop-out rate is at least 30%. It is particularly high in the ninth grade, when there is little motivation to finish school.”

“There is a mix of expectations, on whether they truly value education. There are 1.5 million youngsters who have no motivation. And there are 10 million students in the basic education system. It is 30% of high-school students.”

“We have a broad coverage deficit in superior education that the Ministry is seeking to reduce. Only 30% of high-school graduates chose to attend superior education. Therefore, in 2014 the Government launched the program “Ser Pilo Paga”, to award the best students, who can chose the university and course of study they want to follow, and aid them. It is not a massive program yet.”

“Education does not generate the skills young people need to access the labour market or become entrepreneurs. Nowadays there is a high demand of STEM skills (science, technology, mathematics and engineering), but schools have not been capable of addressing this need. For instance, by 2030, half the professions we know today will be long gone. So, we are educating youth for uncertainty. Today, social, technological and innovation skills are key. If I am not capable of solving a problem, having broad knowledge will be of little help.”

 “Together with Fundación Telefónica, we organized a Tech Camp for kids aged 9 to 12 years old in Lima and Trujillo. During a week we fostered skills and knowledge, as well as motivation. And that is what we have to do. I really like the case of the athlete who learnt javelin via YouTube and made it to the Olympic Games. That is the level of determination that the school must reach.”

 “Teachers and mentors took part, such as Monica Abarca, who owns the startup Qaira, and Jaime Sotomayor, Peruvian entrepreneur of Silicon Valley. They showed children the many uses of drones and 3D printing. The kids learnt about innovation and used technology for their own projects. Additionally, the teachers learnt the methodology we use, in which learning is not lineal and we chose to work by projects.”

“In Peru, just like in Colombia, young people chose traditional professions, and parents encourage them to do so. Every time a young persona choses to do something different, he/she is told he/she will not find a job. But right now, it is the boom of professions linked to creativity. Because that is the only thing that machines still lack: creativity.”

“In Latin America the deficit of STEM professionals is 35%. What is important right now is what programming language you know, not what university you went to. In the years to come, there will be a mixture of professions. Creators and inventors will arise and predominate, that is why a profession as biotechnology is already properly positioned. Consequently, schools must make this information available and labour opportunity options must not be cut down.”

“There is a global movement that is already betting on innovation and changes at school. They are paying closer attention to STEM. Here, in Peru, you have Innova Schools. What I am saying is that the system will not change from the top to the bottom, but the other way around. There are good experiences that are being replicated all over the world, empowering students, working on projects, using technology. We need to speed up our pace.”