Colombia proposes new rules for public school administration

The Colombian Ministry of Education has introduced a draft decree to regulate the participation of third parties in the administration of public schools. The proposal aims to establish clearer rules for contracting external operators while ensuring that territorial entities maintain ultimate responsibility and control over the public education service.

Under the proposed rules, the involvement of private entities or religious organizations in managing official educational establishments would not transfer the state's legal responsibility for the service. The decree specifies that such external contracting should be an exceptional and temporary measure, used only when there are proven deficiencies in the official public supply.

Critics of the proposal argue that the move could lead to the privatization of fundamental rights and the outsourcing of public education to religious groups, potentially increasing social inequality and weakening the public system.