Cauca and Atlántico, Colombia

Colombia has endured more than 65 years of armed conflict, but it is only recently that the education system has begun to address this issue more directly through programs and curriculum reforms. Although the Truth Commission has contributed to this process, little is known about how rural schools affected by the conflict—such as those in the Serranía del Perijá—have engaged with this legacy.

My name is Leonardo Arévalo, a Colombian education researcher and doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University. As part of my dissertation, I will conduct 12 months of fieldwork, which will include more than 50 interviews with teachers, officials, and educational communities, to understand how the legacy of the Truth Commission is adapted, transformed, or resisted within the context of national policy and the realities of rural classrooms. The findings will result in concrete recommendations to strengthen teacher training processes and promote more critical understandings of the country’s recent past, which will help reduce the polarization we experience every day in Colombia.

Your contribution helps ensure that this research reaches every classroom and doesn’t just remain a document.

Your contribution makes it possible to:

• A 12-month field study at two rural public schools in the Serranía del Perijá region with varying levels of exposure to the armed conflict.
• More than 50 interviews with teachers, trainers, and education officials at the national, regional, and local levels.
• A policy paper and outreach materials with specific recommendations for teaching about the armed conflict in Colombia.

Person in Charge
Leonardo Arevalo Rojas