- In the Fifth Regional Conference of the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network, the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago was recognized as an example for universities in Latin America and Spain. In Uruguay, professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program gave a presentation on this successful, free and inclusive program before representatives of the 56 institutions that form the Network.
The diploma course given by Universidad de Santiago, particularly by the Department of Agrarian Management of the Technological Faculty, is already in its fifth version and, every year, it has provided more than 100 students with cost-free training in local development and respect for and protection of the environment.
Professor Santiago Peredo, alternate director of the University Social Responsibility Program and director of the Diploma Course on Education for Sustainable Development of Universidad de Santiago, was invited by the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network (Recla, in Spanish), to take part in the regional conference held between April 15th and April 17th, in Montevideo, Uruguay.
On the occasion, professor Peredo gave a presentation on the characteristics and results of the diploma course before representatives of the 56 higher education institutions from 13 different countries that make up the Network.
“When they informed us that we had been selected to give a presentation in the Recla conference on our experience as an ‘example of success’, we felt proud and we focused on preparing a good presentation, but once we arrived in Montevideo, they told us that we had been selected, together with other five initiatives, out of more than 70 applications. At that moment, we became aware of the true extent of the program,” professor Peredo said.
According to the academic, the participating universities, from countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, Cost Rica and Dominican Republic, showed themselves highly interested in knowing about the model of the program.
“Our diploma course is a continuing education experience developed together by the University Social Responsibility Program and the Department of Agrarian Management. This relation between an administrative unit and an academic one called the attention of all the participants,” he said.
The academic added: “As it is a cost-free diploma course in Chile, a country where there are almost no free programs for students, it also attracted the interest of the universities.”
Another factor that called the attention of the international representatives- he said- was the horizontal and transdisciplinary nature of the experience.
“More than 30 lecturers from different faculties, universities, public and private agencies, together with the administrative team and staff, have made this inclusive project possible. Eagerness and conviction were its only resources in the beginning,” he said.
Finally, professor Peredo said he was pleased and “proud” of the work that they have done for these five consecutive years.
“A great team work and the constant support of the authorities of our university have allowed us to continue with the program and to contribute to train hundreds of students from different backgrounds, in an inclusive program, unique in the country, that is considered an example for Latin America,” professor Peredo concluded.
Translated by Marcela Contreras
