Abstract

FAYAD, RAMÓN. ANNOTATIONS FOR A REFLECTION ON THE HIGHER EDUCATION IN COLOMBIA. rev.fac.med [online]. 2010, vol.18, n.1, pp.123-133. ISSN 0121-5256.

The university as an institution has undergone great transformations throughout its history. Despite the autonomy with which it carries its activities and organizes its structures, it has not remained at the margins of the demands of society, mostly in the formation of professionals. Two centuries ago, in Europe and North America, the university became the space in which professors and students began to develop scientific research, to create knowledge, to put it in context, and to preserve the culture. The current reality indicates that knowledge has become a patrimony that, without a doubt, has contributed to the development and improvement of the life conditions of the societies. In this work it is shown that the Colombian system of higher education is too weak, that in spite of the great number of higher education institutions, the offerings of doctoral programs is scarce and the low number of active researchers is reflected in the short list of production of knowledge in the universities, except in a few examples. Some concrete actions are suggested so that the higher education system can be articulated to a scientific and technological system. The present situation indicates that if not immediate actions are taken in order to stimulate and to adequately finance scientific research, Colombia will continue to be behind the scientific world context, without research universities and it will be condemned to the economic and social underdevelopment..

Keywords : Higher education; science; technology; knowledge.

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