Latin American education convened in Madrid | Spain

On January 16, 27 Ministers of Education from 8 Latin American countries embarked on an intense agenda of training, networking, and inspiration in Madrid, Spain, with the goal of enhancing the efforts of each government in the region.

The ministers are part of the Araucaria Community, a network of education ministers and secretaries coordinated by the Varkey Foundation and its partner organisations. This marked the second meeting of the community, offering a unique opportunity to bridge distances, optimise resources, and delve into shared educational challenges in the region.

"We understand the dual nature of the role, both technical and political, is a challenge for the ministers. We recognise the time constraints they face in their roles and the complexity of making education a genuine priority for the public and their cabinets in a complex regional context. This is precisely why we created the Araucaria Community because we believe there is a way forward. That path is through education because education is the solution," said Agustín Porres, Regional Director of the Varkey Foundation.

The ministers, both state and national, hail from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, and Peru. Specific topics on their agenda included leadership, literacy, secondary education, education and work, communication, digital transformation, and character education, among others.

The activities were designed exclusively for ministers and featured top-notch speakers such as Juan Carlos Cubeiro; Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education at the OECD; Gonzalo Jover; Mariano Fernández Enguita; Luis Arroyo; Nuno Crato; Jo Ritzen; Carmen Pellicer; James Arthur; Manos Antoninis, and Tamara Díaz.

The academic sessions were at the Complutense University, and ministers visited schools in small groups to gain insights into how the local system operates. They also participated in a workshop at the El País newspaper.

The meeting's agenda included high-level meetings with authorities such as the Minister of Education of Spain, Pilar Alegría; the Education Councillor of the Community of Madrid, Emilio Viciana Duro; and the Secretary-General of the OEI, Mariano Jabonero.

This gathering had strategic partners, including the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), Botin Foundation, Coppel Foundation, Trilema Foundation, Including Mexico Foundation, Georgetown University, Natura Institute, Leading Education, Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), Techint, Templeton World Charity Foundation, and the Complutense University of Madrid.

The launch and the first annual meeting of the Araucaria Community took place in Washington DC a year ago, in January 2023, with 23 Ministers of Education from 7 countries. After a year of progress, they reunited, with most members being new ministers in office.

Read Spain's EL PAÍS article here

Photo credit: Spain's EL PAÍS | Claudio Alvarez