Liceo Bicentenario Víctor Jara de Peralillo - Chile

In the rural farming community of Peralillo, in Chile's Colchagua Valley, Liceo Bicentenario Víctor Jara stands as the only secondary school serving 435 students aged 14-18 years old. Once a school facing profound institutional challenges — more than five years without a permanent director, compounded by the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — today it is a beacon of transformation, proving that rural public education can dream big and deliver globally-minded citizens.

In 2022, with the appointment of a permanent director, the school launched "Reimagining the School: Challenges and Opportunities to Create the Future," an ambitious transformation project with a 2030 horizon. This initiative, grounded in research on educational leadership and school improvement, has restored community pride in public education and established professional learning communities that foster collaboration and collective efficacy.

The school's approach to global citizenship and peacebuilding is deeply embedded in daily life. Three formative pathways — university, technical-professional, and vocational — integrate Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Learning + Service projects where students identify real community needs and address them through the lens of human rights, sustainability, and global citizenship. A school garden brings sustainability to life; student-led initiatives connect with local kindergartens, microcentres, and community clubs.

Peace education is practised, not preached. Student mediators, trained alongside psychosocial teams, resolve conflicts among peers. Student ambassadors represent the school, while peer tutors support classmates facing learning difficulties. An anonymous reporting line ensures no student feels unsupported. The "Escuela Total en Convivencia" programme weaves restorative dialogue and non-violent conflict resolution into everyday routines.

The school's global outlook is remarkable for its rural context. Partnerships with Liceo Domingo Faustino Sarmiento in Mendoza, Argentina, and institutes in Hornachos and Burguillos del Cerro, Spain, allow student exchanges funded by donations — because, as the school insists, lack of money cannot mean lack of opportunity. Collaborations with the University of Chile's CIAE, the University of Talca, INACAP, the University of Granada, and networks like AGE and CILME bring world-class academic engagement to a small-town school.

Key achievements include entry into Chile's PACE programme in 2025 (opening university pathways), the launch of a Gastronomy technical speciality with INACAP, viticulture and wine-tourism programmes with the University of Talca, and workplace partnerships offering internships and inclusive employment for students with special educational needs. Students have presented their Learning + Service experiences at the REALSE 2025 congress in Punta Arenas, and the school hosts its own annual "Reimagining the School" Educational Conferences, bringing international researchers and practitioners to Peralillo.

The school's model has been adopted by neighbouring schools and microcentres, scaling its impact across the region. If awarded the Prize, funds would strengthen Learning + Service projects, develop microcredentials in global citizenship, expand teacher training in peace pedagogies and bilingualism, and consolidate student leadership programmes. Their message is unequivocal: rurality, poverty, and public education are no barriers to excellence. "We don't settle for existing — we dare to create the future."