Prácticas pedagógicas, movilización y construcción de paz en territorios en disputa: experiencia desde el Instituto Agropecuario Santa Rosa, Bolívar, Santander

Abstract

The Cátedra de Paz (Peace Education Curriculum) and student government, established under Decree 1732 of 2014 and Law 1075 of 2015, have become consolidated, both discursively and in everyday school life, as the primary scenario for political formation and the construction of coexistence in Colombian public educational institutions. However, their curricular nature and their distance from territorial and population-specific particularities invite critical questioning: is it possible that, through a single subject, conflict and coexistence practices can be transformed in school territories crossed by structural violence? Within this context, this paper presents the progress of research conducted at the Instituto Agropecuario de Santa Rosa, located in Bolívar, Santander. The objective is to understand the meanings and practices of coexistence, conflict, and peace constructed by students, as well as to map the collective action repertoires present both within the institution and in its surrounding territory. Methodologically, the research was developed from a qualitative and socio-critical approach, through Action Research in the Classroom. Thirty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with students from ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade, together with an analysis of local and national media coverage. The findings indicate that the school operates as a mechanism of political and organizational demobilization that distances students from the dynamics of their own territory. In this sense, pedagogical practices articulated with social mobilization and territorial memory constitute an urgent political necessity, and should not be understood as a mere complement to the existing curriculum.