Education, the X factor in digital transformation in LATAM

Although all panel members bring a very broad vision of the continent, Latin America is not one region, it is diverse and so are its needs. The Secretary General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), Rebeca Grynspan, began her participation by confirming that Latin America doubled its university population in the 21st century (although the university dropout rate is very high), which “symbolises” the population’s access to education, but it is not an equal and quality access and inequalities must be avoided. The education ecosystem must change, focusing on continuous learning (the world of employment and the skills required will be transformed, we must train the professionals that society really demands).
The president of Santander Universities, Matías Rodríguez Inciarte, detects that university problems are common: lack of funding; bureaucratic obstacles must be eliminated; governance systems must be reviewed and opened up to society and business; and communication must be digitalized and opened up. The rector of the Universidad de los Andres (Colombia), Pablo Navas, talks about how they have created a disruptive and more inclusive financing system (a loan that is a reciprocity agreement managed by the student himself) with return to the next generations.
Also, he reports that in LATAM, digitalisation has entered more into leisure, but not so much into education and the world of work, and it is an effort by governments. In LATAM, society has moved faster than the institutions and their students need opportunities, motivation and internationalisation (more LATAM talent exchange, more mobility grants and open alliances).