In order to map out joint strategies to guarantee the right to education of children, adolescents and adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela participated on Tuesday in the Meeting of Education Minsters of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP).
At the virtual meeting, the Venezuelan Education Minister and Vice-president for Social and Territorial Development, Aristóbulo Istúriz, highlighted the “One Family, One School” method, which has guaranteed the continuation of classes under a distance learning modality, including different communication platforms and pedagogical strategies.
” We take on distance education to guarantee life in harmony with the right to education,” said Istúriz.
Likewise, he explained the program enables families, schools and communities to get organized and involved to guarantee the children’s continued enrolment in the education system.
The Venezuelan education minister also informed seminars were held with the participation of UNICEF, UNESCO, and friendly countries “to review comparative education.”
“We have also incorporated further initiatives in some regions for sectors that lack access to technology. We are preparing for the post-pandemic phase to resume classes in schools safely,” added Istúriz.
Education as a fundamental human right
Furthermore, Venezuela’s Higher Education Minister, César Trómpiz, affirmed that concerns over securing the access to and the continuation of studies “helped us reaffirm education as a fundamental human right and speed up our work on reinventing the university model.”
Trómpiz explained 90 % of undergraduate and postgraduate students, out of a 3 million student population in public and private institutions, have been able to continue their studies under the modality of distance education.