This is the opinion of young people about the country’s education

The perception of young people about education has been suffering, since according to the 2024 Education Opinion Survey, 83% of young people say that it is useful and 79% believe it is important.

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Although the percentage is high, in past editions the perception of these indicators was greater. According to the report of the Entrepreneurs for Education Foundation (ExE), Regarding the importance of education, during 2023, 95% of the households that were consulted considered that it was important.

The opposite occurred with the utility of the sector, since, based on what was recorded last year, only 78% considered it to be useful. That is to say, that this data had an increase of one percentage point.

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Now, regarding the relevance of obtaining a university degree to guarantee a job, the survey showed that in rural areas 65% of young people agree that the degree is necessary, as do 54% of rural areas. urban stated the same. For the national total, 56% responded that they agree.

Another factor to highlight is that 62% of those surveyed consider that the education they received or receive prepared them very well or well for the current and future job market. Likewise, 24% believe that it is moderate, while 13% say that it is not at all or a little.

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Furthermore, the disarticulation between work life and education is accentuated in rural areas, since 75% of respondents said their work is not related to their study in general. Likewise, 6% say it is related and 19% said it is partially related.

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In the case of urban areas, 53% indicated that their work is not articulated with their study, but contrary to rural, 33% responded that it is directly linked. 13% considered it partially.

One of the warnings that the study reflects is regarding studying for work. The results show, for example, that 56% of young people with technical or technological education do not work in what they studied.

Regarding the aspirations for the level of study, the document recorded that in a greater proportion, 29% of those surveyed hope to achieve a university professional education. Likewise, 25% want to achieve a doctorate and 14% want to specialize.

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“These high educational aspirations are possibly related to the perception that education is meritocratic and serves to change society. In this regard, 69% of young people consider that merit is an important factor for educational success and 97% believe that learning social values ​​such as tolerance is an important reason why they study or studied,” the document explains.

In terms of quality, 59% of young people believe that having better learning environments in relation to well-being and coexistence is a relevant factor to improve the quality of education.

So, 51% of those surveyed consider that education is currently better than before, when during 2023 39% had considered it this way. That is to say, the perception of quality rose 12 percentage points between one year and the next.

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Also, the data that the quality is worse than before decreased, Well, for this edition only 20% believe that this is the casewhile in 2023 39% had considered it that way.

Colombia continues to be one of the countries in which the challenges of access to education are still present and They are part of the gaps to correct in this sector. According to the report, 60% of those surveyed believe that insufficient economic resources andyes the greatest barrier that young people face in achieving the expected educational level.

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It is often found that 36% believe it is due to assuming other commitments such as work, 31% due to lack of information about options, 25% said it was due to personal obligations and Another 25% said that a barrier was doubts about their career choice.

“The more women consider dedication to care work as a reason for not continuing studying, the more men would do so because they have to work.”says the foundation.

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Regarding knowledge for financial support, 57% know about Icetex educational credit programs, while 43% are aware of government support. Likewise, 42% are aware of direct scholarships from higher education institutions and 41% of aid from municipal governments.

According to the opinion of young people, andThere are some elements that can contribute to improving the quality of education in the country.

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In that sense, 59% consider that having better learning environments, in terms of well-being and coexistence, helps this factor of education improve. Likewise, 45% consider that having better teachers is necessary.and 35% say that better technological infrastructure helps.

They include the best pedagogical materials such as books and primers (32%) and also physical infrastructure, especially in schools (27%).

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According to the executive director of the Entrepreneurs for Education Foundation, Andrea Escobar, “this survey is a way to get closer to the realities of young people, take actions for their well-being and what the national educational system offers them; Young people like to study, they want to study, they have a good time at school and they recognize the importance of the role of teachers, educational directors and families in their educational processes”.