In his speech, the head of state called on the university to accompany the country in realizing peace in education, knowledge and culture.
«If the district university wishes, it can accompany us to leave the borders of the district and face the concrete, varied and difficult realities of the country. You will decide whether to join us,” Petro said.
The ruler stated that one of his government’s goals was to achieve “free higher education and higher education as a right for all Colombian youth”, as he proposed during the election campaign.
“We have this path, this path that we must take: to ensure that all of Colombia’s youth have access to higher education, as a right. And to ensure that Colombian society can see, in knowledge and culture, the true and safe path to peace,” he stressed.
In this sense, he highlighted how “the district university has ceased to be a retreat, marginal and on the verge of closure, to be today one of the most important universities in the country”.
This work began in 2015 with contributions from the Ciudad Bolívar Local Development Fund, one of the most humble areas of Bogotá, in Petro’s administration when he was mayor of the capital district.
The infrastructure includes laboratories, audiovisual rooms, cafeterias, a library, learning and research resource centers, green spaces, among others, and also houses the University’s Virtual Education Center.
The University’s Technological Headquarters has existed since 1995, it has served as a catalyst for urban transformation processes in the sector and has enabled the graduation of more than 12,000 students from grades 1, 2 and 3 (out of six in which it is located, according to the Colombian population their purchasing level).
Meanwhile, the education minister said it was a project that would benefit more than 6,300 students and allow for an expansion of 3,000 new places.
«This new seat of the district university (…) is the realization of what we want to build in the government of change, so that young people, regardless of their social background, can have access to a quality education that will allow them to lead their lives consolidate projects,” he emphasized.
jha/otf