https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1520-487X
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9624-6790
Resumen
La cultura de violencia que se está gestando en la sociedad colombiana, cuestiona a la educación y su apuesta misional para aportar en la consolidación de la paz. Esta situación motivó la investigación al considerar que el profesional debe tener la formación de otras competencias en su perfil de egreso, que aporte a esta necesidad colectiva nacional. El estudio se enmarcó en un paradigma cualitativo con enfoque hermenéutico para comprender la acción educativa en relación con la paz y respondió la pregunta medular de la indagación: ¿La educación superior en Colombia está enfocada en formar competencias y cultura para la paz?, a través del análisis documental; luego se presentan los resultados junto con la discusión y se concluye que la educación superior requiere una restructuración de fondo para responder con pertinencia a la construcción de una nueva sociedad caracterizada por la cultura de la paz.
Palabras clave: formación integral, competencias, cultura de paz y educación superior.
The culture of violence that is developing in Colombian society questions education and its missionary commitment to contribute to the consolidation of peace. This situation motivated the investigation, considering that the professional must have the training of other skills in his graduation profile, which contributes to this national collective need. The study was framed in a qualitative paradigm with a hermeneutic approach to understand educational action in relation to peace and answered the core question of the investigation: Is higher education in Colombia focused on forming competencies and culture for peace?, through of documentary analysis; The results were then presented along with the discussion and it was concluded that higher education requires a fundamental restructuring to respond relevantly to the construction of a new society characterized by the culture of peace.
Keywords: comprehensive training, skills, culture of peace and higher education.
Resumo
A cultura de violência que se desenvolve na sociedade colombiana questiona a educação e o seu compromisso missionário em contribuir para a consolidação da paz. Essa situação motivou a investigação, considerando que o profissional deve ter a formação de outras competências no seu perfil de graduação, o que contribui para essa necessidade coletiva nacional. O estudo foi enquadrado num paradigma qualitativo com abordagem hermenêutica para compreender a ação educativa em relação à paz e respondeu à questão central da investigação: O ensino superior na Colômbia está focado na formação de competências e cultura para a paz?, através da análise documental; Os resultados foram então apresentados juntamente com a discussão e concluiu-se que o ensino superior necessita de uma reestruturação fundamental para responder de forma relevante à construção de uma nova sociedade caracterizada pela cultura da paz.
Palavras-chave: formação abrangente, competências, cultura de paz e ensino superior
DOI del artículo: https://doi.org/10.26620/uniminuto.inclusion.11.2.2024.34-44
Introduction
This research stems from a longstanding obligation of education to Colombian society. In this regard, one of the principles of higher education established in Law 30 of 1992 is to focus on the “development of human potential in a comprehensive manner.” Article 4 states that it is a cultural public service that, “without prejudice to the specific aims of each field of knowledge, will foster in learners a reflective spirit, oriented toward the achievement of personal autonomy, within a framework of freedom of thought and ideological pluralism” (p. 1). Education for a culture of peace is not explicitly referenced in this administrative act, nor is there a clear motivation for integrating these competencies. However, by emphasizing comprehensive training, the law establishes a normative mandate for competencies and the culture of peace to be addressed by the national education system. This serves as a contribution to Colombian society, which is increasingly affected by violence, intimidation, and violations at various levels, undermining social coexistence.
Reaffirming the objective of higher education to provide comprehensive training for professionals represents a crucial opportunity to strengthen national unity and address the country’s diverse challenges (Congress of Colombia, 1992). Accordingly, higher education, in line with the principle of university autonomy, can develop the Peace Education in accordance with educational models and create spaces for peacebuilding through academic activities such as reflection, research, learning, and dialogue (Presidency of the Republic, 2015).
Under the Colombian legal framework, higher education institutions are expected to contribute to peacebuilding efforts. However, there are no specific guidelines to direct this mandate. According to national legislation, education for peace is contingent on each university’s educational programs and models, meaning it does not occupy a prominent position in the higher education curriculum. The competencies that predominate in higher education are based on the Tuning Latin America project (2004-2007), classified into learning models, social values, the international technological context, and interpersonal skills. Education for these purposes must go beyond the constitutional framework that recognizes peace as a value, a duty, and a right of Colombians, to acknowledge peace as a fundamental right of every human being. (Delgado Zárate, 2020).
Given this social issue, which is rooted in the increasing violence in Colombia, this research highlights the importance of ensuring that higher education graduates incorporate both theoretical and practical foundations into their professional profiles. This enables them to become citizens with the competencies and a culture of peace, contributing to the consolidation of Colombian constitutional law, which is inherently linked to their ethical and collaborative engagement in society. In line with this perspective, this article presents the theoretical developments that engage with the perspectives of the research participants, which ultimately led to the study’s findings and conclusions. The objective is to issue a collective call for higher education in Colombia to complement specialized knowledge with the development of additional competencies that foster peaceful coexistence.
Theoretical Framework
Knowledge validated by other researchers and experts in the field provides a solid foundation that strengthens the rigor of this study, as the existing epistemological frameworks already possess established developments and relevance, which, when engaged in dialogue with other perspectives, further enrich the research approach. Accordingly, the key topics addressed in this study are: i. Comprehensive Education ii. Educational Competencies iii. The Culture of Peace.
Comprehensive Education
Throughout history, education has been recognized as a fundamental tool for shaping and building a desired societal model. One of the fundamental responsibilities of professionals is to contribute to societal transformation and the improvement of human living conditions (Nova, 2015). Beyond providing strong technical competencies, higher education must also foster the development of ethically responsible citizens committed to peacebuilding, upholding human rights, and defending the core values of democracy (UNESCO, 2009).
Comprehensive education is essential for strengthening the competencies required by Colombian professionals to initiate and reinforce the culture of peace. In this regard, comprehensive education must acknowledge that, as Morin (1999) states, the human being is: “physical, biological, psychological, cultural, social, and historical” (p. 2). Comprehensive education must go beyond a solely cognitive approach to become a way of life characterized by respect, care for life, dignity, and the rights of every human being. In other words, the objective of comprehensive education is to place the student at the center and support their development in all dimensions, enabling them to achieve personal fulfillment. This aligns with the statement by Marcela Orduz (2020), who asserts that “Comprehensive education addresses human actions both individually and as a multidimensional and pluridimensional being, taking into account all their specificities.” In this regard, she considers comprehensive education to be systematic, sequential, and emotional, designed to meet the needs of individuals and their context (p. 17)
Educational Competencies
This research has focused on complexity as the epistemological foundation of competencies. This perspective recognizes that competencies form an evolving and imperfect model, requiring critical thinking and analysis to be effectively understood and applied in comprehensive human education. According to Tobón (2013), competencies are defined as: “Comprehensive actions for identifying, interpreting, arguing, and solving problems within a given context, developing and applying different forms of knowledge in an integrated manner (knowing how to be, knowing how to coexist, knowing how to do, and knowing how to learn), with competence, continuous improvement, and ethical principles” (p. 93).
The goal of competency development within comprehensive education is to achieve personal self-realization through an ethically grounded life project. Knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values are essential elements for contributing to societal transformation. In summary, this research is based on a systemic and multidimensional epistemology of the competencies required for individuals to become promoters of peace and active contributors to building a culture of peace.
The Culture of Peace
Research on peace has strengthened the epistemological foundations of peace studies, aiming to reduce direct, systemic, structural, or symbolic violence. It seeks to understand the origins of conflicts to develop pathways for peaceful resolution by analyzing changes in human behavior in relation to oneself and others (Jiménez, 2007). The objective of peace research is to provide epistemological insights that help individuals become more humane and fulfilled. In this regard, it is relevant to orient higher education towards the construction of a culture of peace, which, as defined by Tuvilla (2004), encompasses the values, traditions, behaviors, and lifestyles that foster a constructive and creative way of relating to one another. This perspective embraces a holistic yet evolving vision of peace, striving for human harmony.
A culture of peace is centered on promoting, respecting, safeguarding, and upholding life, dignity, and all human rights; rejecting all forms of violence; and adhering to the core principles of peacebuilding: freedom, tolerance, solidarity, truth, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, equity, inclusion, social cohesion, the establishment of social justice, and the reinforcement of mutual understanding among all human beings.
Methodological Framework
This research follows a qualitative paradigm, which Marín Gallego (2019) defines as an inductive-deductive process with a systemic perspective for analyzing the dynamics and complexity of reality. The objective of this research is to comprehend reality within diverse contexts. It is characterized by a humanistic approach that does not reduce human beings to quantifiable data but rather focuses on their holistic nature. Within this paradigm, all contexts, situations, and individuals are considered worthy of investigation.
The epistemological stance of this study is framed within the hermeneutic approach, which is understood as the science of interpretation. This approach facilitates the comprehension, interpretation, and understanding of the meaning behind human actions in relation to oneself, others, and various social contexts. Research conducted under this approach prioritizes describing and understanding the uniqueness and particularities of phenomena. In this sense, the descriptions formulated by the researcher are distinguished by their contextualization (Hernández, 2023).
State of the Art
To identify relevant documents and collect data, the Scopus research tool was used. To initiate the search, two keywords were entered: “Competence” and “higher education,” yielding 8,658 documents. To refine the results in accordance with the research, a third category, “culture of peace,” was added, reducing the number to two documents. (TITLE-ABS-KEY (“Competence” AND “higher education”) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (“culture of peace”)). According to the state of the art, there is a scarcity of academic production related to competencies development for the culture of peace in higher education. Strictly speaking, as of today, no documents specifically addressing competencies for peace in higher education have been identified. TITLE-ABS-KEY (“Competences for peace” AND “Higher education”). Thus, competencies development and the culture of peace in higher education in Colombia have not occupied a significant position within the academic community.
Additionally, a bibliographic review was conducted across the following databases: Dialnet, Google Scholar, Redalyc, and Scielo, focusing on education for peace and the culture of peace in higher education.
Results
In the first place, the documentary analysis showed that the trend in peace research has focused on negative peace, positive peace, cultural peace (Johan Galtung), imperfect peace (Francisco Muñoz), and neutral peace (Francisco Jiménez) (Jiménez Bautista and Jiménez Aguilar, 2014). Inquiries into peace have enriched its epistemological foundation and, as a result, a more expeditious understanding of the different conceptions of peace has been achieved.
In second place, it was observed that studies on education for peace have focused on its genesis, with the waves playing a predominant role: first wave, the new school; second wave, the UNESCO approach; third wave, non-violence; and fourth wave, Research for peace (Jares, 2005).
Thirdly, it was observed that the research on education for peace has focused on content. As such, the content of education for peace should be centered on education for disarmament, education for development, education for conflict (Jares, 2004), education in human rights, education for solidarity and education in values as a fundamental basis for peacebuilding. Fourthly, it was observed that education for peace is focused on the culture of peace as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In accordance with the documentary analysis, the core question of the research was addressed: Is higher education in Colombia focused on developing competencies for peace?
In a society characterized by the rapid pace of change due to globalization, technology, information, knowledge, science, artificial intelligence, economics, and politics, the Colombian education system emphasizes strengthening competencies that support the growth of an economic, social, and cultural model centered on market relations and capital accumulation. To a lesser extent, new professionals are trained to coexist with others through democratic, ethical, and solidarity-based values (Ramírez, 2020).
Higher education that focuses on promoting peace must be grounded in fundamental values and principles that contribute to social transformation through teaching, research, management, and outreach (Vallaeys and Álvarez, 2019). These functions must be driven by the pursuit and reinforcement of values, attitudes, and ways of life based on respect for life, dignity, and human rights. Additionally, adherence to core principles such as democracy, freedom, justice, social cohesion, solidarity, and respect for diversity is essential.
Education in the Colombian context is a necessity, a response, and a foundational element in the processes of seeking and building peace (Pozo, 2016). It serves as a key tool for addressing challenges and developing strategies for learning that foster peaceful living and coexistence. One of the primary goals of education is to support students in the comprehensive development of competencies that reinforce and uphold fundamental rights, aiming to consolidate human values and achieve peace (Picón and Frausto, 2022).
The creation of a culture of peace in higher education begins at a personal level, shaped by family, social, and institutional influences. Future professionals must be trained in values and critical thinking to actively contribute to the pursuit and consolidation of social justice. Establishing a culture of peace at the university level requires fostering a new culture defined by democratic values, the peaceful resolution of conflicts, the rejection of all forms of violence, respect for life, and adherence to human rights. (Delfín et al. 2024). The culture of peace is part of a learning process for peaceful conflict resolution that serves as a catalyst for projecting and grounding multidimensional changes aimed at building and consolidating a culture of peace (Hernández et al. 2017). The culture of peace is implicitly embedded in people’s values and attitudes, fostering individual quality of life and manifesting in social and academic dimensions (Torres et al. 2019).
On the other hand, if Colombian society remains in a state of violence, it legitimizes exclusion and vulnerability, as referenced in the National Political Constitution of 1991. This situation constitutes a violation of the legitimate right to peace and the right to receive an education that fosters a culture of peace, ensuring that curricula evolve towards well-being and civic coexistence.
Discussion
The future of higher education is oriented towards quality of life, social change, environmental care, and technological development. (UNESCO, 2021). According to projections for education toward 2050 and beyond, peace represents a prevailing aspiration, focused on the construction of a fairer and more egalitarian society, one that respects diversity and maintains harmony with nature.
The development of peace education in higher education institutions in Colombia has not occupied a preeminent position. Due to university autonomy, the teaching of peace is contingent upon academic programs and approaches. Each higher education institution approaches education for peace based on its specific context. Consequently, opportunities for learning, dialogue, reflection, research, and peacebuilding are determined by the autonomy of each academic faculty. The foundations of higher education in relation to peace research and peacebuilding are based on the concept of positive peace. This approach is oriented toward improving quality of life, respect for human dignity, justice, social cohesion, human rights, and all democratic values (Ramírez, 2020).
Comprehensive training serves as a key pathway for human transformation, offering valuable tools to strengthen critical thinking, ethical development, and the direction of university education towards human transformation. Given its multidimensional nature, this education fosters a strong sense of social awareness, enabling individuals to contribute to the construction of a new culture, known as the culture of peace (Gutiérrez, 2023).
This being the case, the principle of higher education is to accompany and facilitate the integral development of human potential. One category that guides the analysis of the results is the culture of peace, the focus on capacities and the recognition of the human being. For the purposes of the research, the focus has been on the culture of peace, characterized by being:
With regard to the speed of change in the 21st century, new educational needs have emerged that have been promoted by different countries, leaving values and capacities to preserve vitality, respect and responsibility, necessary elements for strengthening democracy, in the background (Nussbaum, 2010). It is necessary to opt for the capabilities approach, which conceives each person as an end in themselves and is characterized by respect for freedom of choice and the individual’s capacity for self-definition. Building a new culture requires ten core capabilities: life; physical health; physical integrity; senses, imagination and thought; emotions; practical reason; affiliation; other species; play; and control over one’s environment (Nussbaum, 2012, pp. 53-54).
Conclusions
Today’s society demands that higher education rethink and reimagine its educational work in order to respond pertinently to the multidimensional changes that are experienced in everyday life in relation to the creation of a new culture called the culture of peace. Competency development for peace is a new challenge that higher education must face in order to respond to the Colombian people’s desire to live in peace through a systemic vision.
The epistemological basis of positive peace and imperfect peace are the beacon for advancing research and innovation in the curriculum, didactics and pedagogy of universities in order to focus on learning, reflection, dialogue, research and peacebuilding from an academic perspective.
It is necessary to reinforce, enrich and strengthen the leadership and experiences of those universities that, within the framework of the Constitution and the law, have focused on promoting the achievement and maintenance of peace. The prospect of capacity building opens the door to innovation in education to focus on the multidimensionality of the human being and to accompany them in the development of their capacities aimed at respecting, caring for and valuing the life, dignity and rights of every human being.
Higher education, in addition to professionalizing, needs to accompany the student in their human formation so that they learn to live in harmony with themselves, with others, with nature and with transcendence. One purpose of higher education is to offer tools to the disciple so that they can choose a lifestyle that transcends ethical action, the search for the common good, the transformation of society and the construction of a culture of peace.
For the construction of a culture of peace, it is necessary to strengthen the life and peace competencies of future professionals. This requires going beyond the Chair of Peace to a lifestyle focused on respect for the life of human beings and their rights. In this sense, we turn to the mission of higher education, which, in addition to training suitable professionals with competences for working life, must also be a manager of peace, since the policies, actions and purposes of the national government in this area need the strength of all Colombians
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Derechos
Artículo de investigación / Research Article / Artigo de pesquisa
Conflicto de intereses: Los autores han declarado que no existen intereses en competencia
