Challenges in Making Inclusive and Comprehensive Public Policy on Ethno-educational Processes

Abstract

This article presents the results of intercultural processes stemming from challenges in making inclusive and comprehensive public policies on ethno-educational matters based on the current public policies in Latin American countries, particularly Colombia. This qualitative, ethnographic research examined the perceptions of Indigenous educators vis-à-vis (sustituir por: in face of) the contemporary public policies on aboriginal communities. In doing so, this study employed individual and focus-group interviews and drew on a descriptive, analytical design that also considered a systematic review of antecedents to such policies. The findings evidence that the realities of Indigenous classroom practices and approaches are distant from those of urban settings and the principles and norms established in Colombia’s legislation and other countries. Lastly, the study highlights the need for constructing public policies that benefit Indigenous communities in Latin America and Colombia.