¿Qué significa educar en el mundo de hoy?

Abstract

We place in your hands the text, What does it mean to educate in today’s world? from compiler, researcher and university professor, Rafael Ricardo Bohórquez-Aunta. Having this educative compilation permits us to see different horizons and contributions of this vast field, so instrumental in our country, in Latin America, and all geographical latitudes, including in-person formation and distance-learning education.

Education with passion is more valuable than virtuality without connectivity. The teaching profession always leaves a trail of stories, teachings and lessons, impregnated in the soul, whether one works with children, youth, university or postgraduate students. This is why professor and researcher Rafael Ricardo Bohórquez-Aunta, embarks in the honorable task of presenting to us, for our academic and cultural pleasure, contributions from diverse educational experiences, which will allow us to become familiar with, and understand, how education, in sui generis contexts, is moving forward; in extraordinary and fitting fashion as heard in these narratives.

This profound contribution will permit us to see that, often, education has been turned into a market, instrumentalized to obtain political and economic benefits, among others, which has led to a situation today where strong demands are made, with social marches, nationally and internationally. Claiming rights, and one hear phrases imprinted in the memories of activists, of those who listen, and written on a vast number of walls and public spaces, such as: “the people demand, and it is right, first things first, health and education”.

We have the challenge and opportunity of not returning to the past or how we were before the pandemic, we must project ourselves academically and educationally towards the future, we must get used to enjoying the present moment with the novelties it brings. Returning to the past is going back to the same state of affairs for rich and poor. For some, it would be sad and frustrating, and for others, it would be the continuation of the status quo. We were living in a tired world, without vigor, pessimist, aged in its politics and educative projects. This is why we must have options and motivations for hope, for change and for a better future. This is an invitation to not hesitate in the new approaches, in these moments of weakness. Let us think about what this situation has for us. Let us not allow negative projects and thoughts. We are in optimal moments to change our academy and our ways of teaching, making use of the new technologies that are in our reach, and preparing ourselves for the new ones, which will come with 5G and 6G technology. In popular words, “it will be madness”.

Having present the contributions in this compilation of texts and authors, we must take risks and express our educational demands, this way, what is wanted and asked-for is known. Let us make this demands not to the governments but to the educational world, so that we have unanimity of desires and projects. The answers, and our hope of an educational node that is in constant evolution and change, relies on our petitions.

Colleagues, teachers and researches, if education does not move us, if we are cross-armed, there is no change. Let us begin now, for the big changes are realized step by step. This implies that we must encourage, further and strengthen the academic formation of each person who comes to the educator. This is temporal progress that will contribute to the life of the human person.

Fr. Omar Orlando SÁNCHEZ SUÁREZ, O.P Vicerrector Académico Universidad Santo Tomás – Seccional Tunja