Education for ALL!

Currently, the educational panorama in Latin America is very concerning. Many students in remote areas are not being served as they need in order to become productive members of society. In Colombia, many students are not receiving the proper type of education if they live in rural areas of the country. These students have all the capacity and willingness to learn but the needed tools such as internet, equipment, trained teachers, etc are not provided to their institutions due to geographical limitations or lack of communication services. The solution proposed is to adequate these schools with mobile labs and portable internet in partnership with telecommunication service companies such as Movistar or Claro as well as providing teacher training via online and face to face when needed. Finally, this solution will impact the lives of the most vulnerable students in the different rural regions.

Elementary and high school classrooms in the public sector in Colombia have always been marginalized due to factors such as war, lack of roads, lack of trained teachers and lack of access to information. Thus, the scale of this problem is massive since only 53% of schools in rural zones have internet access and also students in rural areas only attend to schools for about 5.5 years in comparison to 9.7 years in urban areas. This problem makes the educational gap bigger between the students in rural areas in comparison to students who attend schools in urban areas. Some of the contributing factors to the problem or quality and access to education in rural areas is the poor infrastructure in schools and the lack of training provided to teachers in these schools. It is evident that teachers need to have some type of mentoring on how to use the new technologies in order to provide better instruction to their students. Also, schools need to assure resources such as access to internet and computers if we want to change education in these particular classrooms. Once these minimum measures are assured, these schools could provide better education.

As an educator myself and as a teacher trainer, I have been working closely with teachers who are being teaching students in rural areas. I have witnessed their challenges and their problems with education. Some of these teachers are very willing to help students in their classrooms but they do not know how. As an instructor of a Masters program in education, I can guide student teachers in these areas and attend these schools directly to provide training and mentoring on how to better use the tools to provide access to information and education. The solution proposed in this project would benefit thousands of students in rural areas of Colombia and the partnership with the private companies would allow students to receive an opportunity to learn about the world outside their communities. 

Also, this solution can potentially solve the issue of access to high quality education via online resources. If we guarantee public rural schools with mobile carts with laptops and most importantly access to internet, as well as mentoring to their teachers, the probability to improve students' education is very high.

Given the current situation worldwide dealing with the CoVid19, the educational system in Colombia and its policy makers have reflected upon the problem with education especially in rural areas. These students have been affected directly given the fact that they are not receiving classes due to the health crisis. This is due to the problem of access to internet and not being able to receive online classes. Thus, this proposal seeks to provide a practical solution to this problem. 

First, students in rural areas should be taken into account when creating policies or thinking about ways to implement new pedagogies in the classroom. The first part of the project is related to look for funding to provide schools in rural areas with mobile carts and laptops to the students. 

Second, schools will find partnerships with telecommunication companies such as Claro or Movistar to find ways to access internet even with portable internet USBs. Finally, teachers will receive training and mentoring in how to better utilize these resources in order to maximize students' learning. If this is done, the quality of education and the access to it would improve dramatically. 

This solution is innovative given the fact that it will include the mentoring aspect with the teachers. In Colombia, there has been some governments who have attempted this solution by providing students and schools with laptops. However, they have failed in how to train their teachers to use these tools. Thus, I strongly believe that if teachers and students are guided and taught on what they need to do to maximize the resources, students would be benefited 

This solution could be very beneficial to students in rural areas given the fact that teachers would not be left alone to figure out how these technologies work. Based on my previous work with teachers in schools where I have taught small certificate programs and where I have mentored teachers directly on how to use these resources, I can see how this project could work in remote areas of Colombia. 

Although many obstacles would be seen, I think it is important to provide teachers and students with a purpose on why this idea can be helpful to their communities. 

Currently, I am working with teachers who are teaching in K to 11 schools. Given my proposed solution, I can serve nearby schools where the solution could reach to at least 1000 students via their homeroom teachers. In one year, I can serve at least 2000 students directly especially if the secretaries of education allow me to  go into these classrooms and in five years, this project could be massive if all the errors are addressed to better serve students in these areas.

This project could serve as a pilot program where many universities or entities could see it and learn from it. The most important aspect of the project is adaptability because it is a project that could meet the needs of many underprivileged students of rural areas in different countries.

My goals in one year are to be able to implement the solution in a few number of schools as to see if the solution is viable and sustainable. Also, I would like to learn more about this topic and start a research project about the needs in education in Colombia. Then, in five years I can see myself working on public policy to address some policies that still marginalized some of our student body

An important barrier would be making the link and persuading schools to allow me to work in their institutions. However, I think that partnerships and agreements could be worked out in case the schools buy into the case. Also, I think a big barrier would be transportation to some of these areas in order to understand the context better. However, this could be solved if the internet is provided to these institutions 

In five years, my main barrier would be to see if I am still affiliated to my university and if I am still receiving mentoring and support from the T-Prize team. 

The best and most appropriate way for me to overcome my barriers is to receive full support from the university so they can facilitate their resources and I can guarantee the continuity of the project 

In my opinion, this solution has been implemented in different areas of Colombia. However, the solution has only being thought on giving students the equipment and not giving students access to internet or providing teachers with real and useful information on how to use these tools 

Diana Gómez-Pereira 

Carl Anderson

Diana Gómez-Pereira is a professor of FL education in the Department of Foreign Languages at the Universidad de La Sabana. She teaches courses on foreign language learning theories and courses for the Minor in Intercultural Studies. Diana received her Doctorate in Education in the field of Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Pittsburgh, in the United States and she has taught Spanish to elementary, high school, and college students in both private and public schools and universities in the United States. Her research interests include intercultural communicative competence (ICC), dynamic assessment,  English language teaching, academic writing, Genre-Based Approach and systemic functional linguistics. Prior to the nine years that Dr. Gómez-Pereira spent working in the United States, she graduated from the Languages Program at the Universidad Industrial de Santander.  In the spring of 2010, she completed a Master’s in Education (MEd) with an emphasis in Foreign Language Education from the University of Pittsburgh, and then she joined the School of Education to teach Spanish as a Foreign Language. Dr. Gómez-Pereira has presented her work in national and international conferences throughout the United States, Colombia, Mexico and other countries. In August 2018, Diana joined the faculty team in the master’s program at the Universidad de La Sabana, and she is excited to contribute to this dynamic team, shaping student experiences at this institution, and pushing forward new research initiatives. She is currently working in several research projects in partnership with researchers not only in Colombia but also in the US

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My business model is related to the different ways in which education could be given to all students. It is a matter of equity for all of our students.

I will seek for grants or money from different places especially telecommunication companies

This solution will help me advance my career as an educator and potentially learn about different ways in which I could solve real educational problems