On January 24, Gilda Alcívar García, Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, met with representatives from 11 teachers’ unions as part of the “Dialogue for Education.” The meeting was also attended by Juan Carlos Rodríguez, Vice Minister of Educational Management; José Luis Torres, Vice Minister of Education; and the technical team from the Ministry. This initiative aims to promote collaboration in support of Ecuador’s National Education System.
Minister Alcívar stated that this engagement reflects a commitment to building solutions through consensus. “We proposed dialogue because we firmly believe in participation and in the collective construction of educational policy,” said Alcívar. She highlighted that working together with unions and associations is key to advancing toward quality education.
Alcívar also emphasized that improving education is a shared responsibility. “We all work for a common good: the development of our country. The results we hope to see are the product of contextual and sustained work, which requires the commitment of all actors in the educational system,” she said.
The minister pointed out that having 11 unions, associations, and federations participate demonstrates genuine interest in joint efforts. “The fact that there are 11 unions, associations and federations present shows a real interest in working together,” she added.
The “Dialogue for Education” seeks to provide a participatory space to address issues affecting Ecuador’s National Education System across all sectors, gather concerns from teachers’ organizations, and generate responses to help shape and strengthen public education policy.
This dialogue process aligns with other strategic actions promoted by the Ministry of Education. These include teacher professionalization initiatives, merit-based competitions for teaching positions, recategorization and standardization processes, strengthening Student Counseling Departments (DECE), and creating safe educational communities. All these efforts form part of an overall plan aimed at improving Ecuador’s national education system.
