06\/09\/2019
Photo: C\u00e9sar Carri\u00f3n \u2013 Presidency <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 The Head of State affirmed that the High Quality accreditation to the University of Sin\u00fa is "a recognition of the professors, the directors" and the legacy of the Bechara family, the founder of the alma mater, on April 20, 1974 .<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The President also posthumously awarded the Order of Boyac\u00e1 in the degree of Grand Cross to the co-founder of the University of Sin\u00fa, Saray Castilla de Bechara, a distinction received by the eldest of the honoree's four children, Ilse Bechara.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Monteria, September 6, 2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n President Iv\u00e1n Duque participated this Friday in the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the University of Sin\u00fa 'El\u00edas Bechara Zain\u00fam', an event in which he formalized the institutional accreditation of High Quality to the alma mater, and highlighted his contribution to education as \u201c the most important tool to close the gaps in a society\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Head of State, referring to the accreditation of the University, stated that this is "a recognition of the professors, managers and the legacy of a family (Bechara)".<\/p>\n\n\n\n It should be noted that the aforementioned recognition of the Universidad del Sin\u00fa originated in the issuance of resolution number 006197 of June 13, 2019, by the Ministry of Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the ceremony, the President also delivered, posthumously, the Order of Boyac\u00e1, in the rank of Grand Officer, to the co-founder of the University of Sin\u00fa, Saray Castilla de Bechara, a distinction that was received by the eldest of the four children of the honoree, Ilse Bechara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through this decoration, the National Government extolled the memory of Mrs. Saray Castilla de Bechara, a distinguished personality from the department of C\u00f3rdoba, who died in November 2018, who throughout her life stood out for her dedication to service, solidarity, social work and for improving the quality of higher education in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Achievements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recalling the legacy of the co-founder of the Universidad del Sin\u00fa and the ideas he shared with her to improve the country's educational system, President Duque stressed that "our Government has been building that dream in just one year", hand in hand of the Minister of Education, Mar\u00eda Victoria Angulo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In that sense, he pointed out that "we have managed to increase the budget for the School Feeding Program by more than 45 percent."<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, he assured that "we can also say that the year 2019 will remain in the memory of Colombians as the year where education received the largest number of resources in the history of our country, and that confirms our commitment to this sector."<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that "fundamental steps" have been taken to meet the goal of doubling the number of students who go to the single shift, and reiterated that the goal is to go from 12 to 24 percent by 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The President asserted that in one year \u201cwe have managed to get more than 140,000 young people to graduate with a double high school degree (\u2026). In one hand with the baccalaureate degree and in the other with the technical title\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed that, as a factor of social transformation, the Government has managed to get more than 47,000 young people to come to Colombian universities for free, and announced that the goal is to close 2019 with about 80,000 students. He indicated that the purpose is that by 2022 more than 334,000 young people have that opportunity<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noting that the role of teachers is also important for the Government, he said that "we have dedicated ourselves to structurally strengthening the infrastructure of all normal schools in the country, facilitating professionalization schemes for normal students and opening scholarships for specialization, master's and doctorate for teachers in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Head of State emphasized that "education can never be at the service of any ideology, because it ceases to be education and becomes indoctrination", and concluded that true education is "free, reflective, deep, analytical and critical".<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event was attended by the Minister of Education, Mar\u00eda Victoria Angulo; the Governor of C\u00f3rdoba, Sandra Devia Ruiz; the Mayor of Monter\u00eda, Marcos Daniel Pineda Garc\u00eda; the President of the Superior Council of the University of Sin\u00fa, Rolando Bechara Castilla; the General Rector (e), Ilse Bechara Castilla; the Rector of the Monter\u00eda branch of the institution, Adriana Su\u00e1rez de Lacouture; teachers, administrative staff, graduates and students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n