Subjectivities, Diversity, and Interculturality in the Mexican and Colombian Education System

Adriana Carolina Torres Escobar

doi:10.13189/ujer.2021.090123

Abstract

School closures, online education, public health, and economic crises pose significant challenges for students, teachers, and governments. This qualitative research describes the education gap in Latin America, its social tensions, and disparities. Furthermore, it explains theoretical concepts such as subjectivities, subjectivation, governmentality, technologies of power, technologies of the self, ethics, normalization, agency, and interculturality. These are some of the researcher's areas of expertise. It also presents the actions taken by Colombia and Mexico to guarantee access to education and digital devices, as well as high-quality contents, interactions, and tasks, during the deadly spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that education policies do not adequately address student diversity and do not ensure equity in education. The situation has magnified deep-rooted socioeconomic, racial, and educational injustices. The education system has been designed for homogeneous groups, middle and upper-class students, and individuals who are not related to minority groups. The majority of economically vulnerable students cannot access educational resources, have dropped out of school, have experienced interruptions in the learning process, and have developed psychological disorders. Neither teachers nor students have the opportunity to participate in public policy design, hindering the possibility of exercising their

Highlights

Latin American region stands a humanitarian crisis derived from political instability, corruption, injustices, social inequities, violence, unaffordable frail health systems, and few possibilities to access adequate and high-quality education when students are not affluent [1]
While Colombia has the educational portal "Colombia Aprende," with around 80000 digital educational resources available to teachers and students on a wide variety of educational topics, Mexico has a digital library furnished with textbooks, books, guides for teachers and parents [18]
It is estimated that in Colombia, between March and July 2020, students had not reached approximately 26% of the learning that they would have acquired under normal conditions [19]

Summary

Introduction

Latin American region stands a humanitarian crisis derived from political instability, corruption, injustices, social inequities, violence, unaffordable frail health systems, and few possibilities to access adequate and high-quality education when students are not affluent [1]. In addition to the challenging situation that the region has experienced due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Latin America and the Caribbean region have suffered the worst economic crisis in the last 120 years. The economic recovery will be low, and it does not guarantee equality of educational. The outbreak of coronavirus disease is neither the first nor the only concern humanity has and will have to handle, it has impacted personal, family, social, political, economic, and educational dynamics. Health measures have led to compulsory or voluntary social isolation, and governments have determined that schools provide online classes for students

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Discussion

Conclusion