Valle del Cauca earned first place in Colombia Líder's National Education Challenge, in the category for special departments 1 and 2. The award recognizes initiatives in pedagogical innovation and rural entrepreneurship. Governor Dilian Francisca Toro hailed the achievement as a collective effort by students and teachers.
Valle del Cauca secured first place in the National Education Challenge run by Colombia Líder, thanks to projects blending pedagogical innovation, life skills training, rural entrepreneurship, and comprehensive student development in rural areas.
Governor Dilian Francisca Toro accepted the award in Cali and highlighted the strategies' effects. “We started with school gardens and turned them into youth associations, into youth businesses,” she explained, noting how these groups sell produce to the School Feeding Program, linking them to the real economy. She added: “So thank you very much for this award, which is not mine, but yours, the students and teachers”.
Key initiatives include the Associations of Future Farmers (AFA), rolled out in rural schools to train young people as field entrepreneurs. These connect with the Instituto Técnico Industrial y de Posgrados (INTEP) to enhance agroindustrial processes. Toro emphasized: “Those boys will stay to build their businesses, they will be field entrepreneurs. That's what we want for our youth in rural areas”.
Another cornerstone is the Institutional Project for Reading, Writing, and Orality (PILEO), which has reached over 110,000 students across 148 institutions in 34 non-certified municipalities. Additionally, Socioemotional Education fosters safe environments in schools, homes, and communities.
“That's why it's something integral we give to the youth. It becomes a life story, a life project, a hope for families,” the governor concluded. There are now 29 legally established AFAs and 126 productive pedagogical projects, some with a STEAM focus, driving educational innovation.
The award bolsters the department's dedication to education tied to productive realities, reshaping the lives of thousands of students and their families.
