Medellin Council to Vote on Record US$1.6 Billion Budget for Public Education
Right on the heels of Colombia President Ivan Duque’s new announcement that Colombia will launch alternating-shifts of physical/virtual school and university education in August, Medellin Education Secretary Alexandra Agudelo Ruiz unveiled a record-setting COP$6.2 trillion (US$1.6 billion) budget for the coming school year.
If the Medellin City Council gives approval — following initial Council debate May 27 and a scheduled final vote on May 31 — then Medellín would have the highest investment in public education in its history, according to the Mayor’s Office.
“For primary, secondary and middle [high-school] levels, a budget of COP$5.3 trillion [US$1.4 billion] is projected,” plus hundreds of billions of additional pesos for Medellin’s three public universities, the Office added.
The proposed boost in education funding is core to Medellin Mayor Daniel Quintero’s development plan, which also includes further funding and promotion of Medellin as the “Software Valley” of Colombia, according to the Mayor’s Office.
“The figure contemplated in the education budget is historic — 19% higher than the previous budget,” Secretary Agudelo said.
The budget hike will “strengthen attention to early childhood, curricular transformation, bilingualism, broader access, coverage and permanence, teacher training and physical and technological infrastructure,” she added.
