Catedra de la Paz, Citizenship Competencies, and Human-Rights Education

Rationale

Ley 1732 de 2014 and Decreto 1038 de 2015 make the Catedra de la Paz obligatory in every preschool, basic, and secondary establishment, public and private, and ICFES assesses related learning through the citizenship-competencies component of the Saber 11 examination. This course equips teachers to design, deliver, and evidence peace education that meets the legal mandate, aligns with the citizenship competencies framework, and prepares students for the Saber 11 assessment. The course also trains participants to document their peace-education practice for the annual performance evaluation (evaluacion de desempeno) under Decreto 1278 de 2002 and for the ECDF competency evaluation under Decreto 1657 de 2016, making it directly relevant to career progression.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. The constitutional root of peace education

Participants examine Articles 22 and 41 of the Colombian Constitution, which establish peace as a fundamental right and a duty of the state and frame education for peace as a constitutional imperative. The lesson traces how these constitutional principles ground Ley 1732 de 2014, which makes the Catedra de la Paz obligatory in all preschool, basic, and secondary establishments. Participants analyze the constitutional text to identify the specific rights and duties that the catedra must serve, including the right to peace, the duty to promote peaceful coexistence, and the obligation to educate for citizenship. The activity requires participants to map each constitutional provision to a corresponding element of the catedra's legal framework, producing a written analysis that connects constitutional law to classroom practice. After this lesson, participants can articulate the constitutional basis for peace education and explain why the catedra is a legal duty rather than a discretionary addition to the curriculum.

Lesson 2. What Ley 1732 requires

Participants read the full text of Ley 1732 de 2014 to identify the law's scope, the establishments it binds, the subjects it covers, and the obligations it imposes on schools and teachers. The lesson clarifies that the catedra is obligatory for all public and private establishments and that it must be incorporated into the institutional educational project (PEI) and the study plan (plan de estudios). Participants work through a structured reading guide that extracts the law's key provisions: the definition of peace culture, the requirement to teach historical memory, the mandate to include sustainable development, and the obligation to assess learning. The activity requires participants to produce a one-page compliance checklist that a school could use to verify that its catedra meets the statutory requirements. After this lesson, participants can state the exact obligations Ley 1732 imposes on their school and can identify gaps in their current practice.

Lesson 3. Incorporating the catedra

Participants study Decreto 1038 de 2015, which regulates Ley 1732 and specifies how schools must incorporate the Catedra de la Paz into the curriculum. The decree allows two models: an autonomous subject with its own time allocation, or an integrated approach in which the catedra's content is distributed across existing subjects such as social sciences, ethics, and civic education. Participants evaluate both models against their school's context, considering factors such as timetable constraints, teacher availability, and the existing plan de estudios. The activity requires participants to draft a proposal for their school's PEI that specifies which model they would adopt, which teachers would deliver the content, and how the catedra would be scheduled across the academic year. After this lesson, participants can design a legally compliant incorporation strategy for the Catedra de la Paz in their own school.

Lesson 4. The thematic fields

Participants examine the thematic fields that Decreto 1038 de 2015 defines for the Catedra de la Paz: peace culture, historical memory, sustainable development, and the other areas listed in the decree. The lesson unpacks each thematic field, explaining its conceptual boundaries, its relationship to the other fields, and the learning outcomes it should produce. Participants analyze sample curriculum maps from Colombian schools to see how the thematic fields have been operationalized in practice, identifying strengths and weaknesses in each example. The activity requires participants to create a thematic map for one academic cycle (for example, grades 6-7) that distributes the thematic fields across the school year, specifying for each field the key concepts, the learning objectives, and the assessment methods. After this lesson, participants can design a curriculum sequence that covers all the thematic fields required by the decree.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Historical memory and the social fabric

Participants explore the concept of historical memory (memoria historica) as defined in Decreto 1038 de 2015 and its role in reconstructing the social fabric (tejido social) in post-conflict Colombia. The lesson addresses the pedagogical challenges of teaching about violence, armed conflict, and human-rights violations in a way that is truthful, age-appropriate, and restorative. Participants examine the MEN's guidelines for teaching historical memory, including the principles of truth, dignity, and non-repetition. The activity requires participants to design a lesson sequence for one grade level that teaches a specific historical event or period through the lens of historical memory, incorporating primary sources, testimonies, and reflective writing. After this lesson, participants can plan and deliver instruction on historical memory that respects the dignity of victims and promotes reconciliation.

Lesson 6. Citizenship competencies framework

Participants study the MEN's citizenship competencies framework (competencias ciudadanas) as the pedagogical backbone of the Catedra de la Paz. The lesson explains the framework's structure: the three domains (coexistence and peace, participation and democratic responsibility, and plurality and respect for difference), the types of competencies (cognitive, emotional, communicative, and integrative), and the progression by grade cycle. Participants analyze the Estandares Basicos de Competencias Ciudadanas to identify the specific competencies that students should develop at each cycle and to see how the standards align with the catedra's thematic fields. The activity requires participants to map one thematic field from Decreto 1038 to the corresponding citizenship competencies, producing a crosswalk that shows how the catedra's content develops the competencies. After this lesson, participants can use the citizenship competencies framework to design instruction that builds measurable civic skills.

Lesson 7. Conflict transformation in the classroom

Participants learn restorative and dialogic approaches to transforming conflicts in the classroom, drawing on the principles of the Catedra de la Paz and the coexistence system under Ley 1620 de 2013. The lesson distinguishes between conflict resolution (ending a dispute) and conflict transformation (changing the relationships and structures that produced the conflict). Participants practice restorative dialogue techniques, including the use of restorative circles, active listening, and non-violent communication, and they analyze case studies of classroom conflicts to identify which approach would be most appropriate. The activity requires participants to role-play a restorative dialogue with a peer, then write a reflective analysis of the experience. After this lesson, participants can facilitate restorative dialogues with students and can teach students to transform conflicts constructively.

Lesson 8. Human-rights education

Participants examine the human-rights education component of the Catedra de la Paz, which Ley 1732 de 2014 and Ley 1620 de 2013 require. The lesson covers the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Colombian Constitution's rights framework, and the specific rights of children and adolescents under Ley 1098 de 2006. Participants learn how to teach rights as both content (what rights exist) and practice (how to exercise and defend rights in the school community). The activity requires participants to design a learning activity that teaches one specific right (for example, the right to participation or the right to non-discrimination) and that requires students to apply that right in a school context. After this lesson, participants can integrate human-rights education into the catedra and can help students understand rights as lived experience.

Lesson 9. Environmental and territorial dimension

Participants explore the environmental and territorial dimension of the Catedra de la Paz, which Decreto 1038 de 2015 includes under sustainable development. The lesson connects environmental education to peace education by examining how environmental degradation, resource conflict, and territorial dispossession are linked to violence and social injustice in Colombia. Participants study the MEN's guidelines for environmental education and the constitutional principle of a healthy environment (ambiente sano). The activity requires participants to design a project-based learning unit that addresses a local environmental issue (such as water access, deforestation, or mining) and that teaches students to analyze the issue's relationship to peace and conflict. After this lesson, participants can teach students to understand the environmental dimensions of peace and to act as environmental citizens.

Lesson 10. Participation and democracy

Participants study the school governance structures (gobierno escolar) that Ley 115 de 1994 establishes and learn how to use these structures as laboratories for democratic participation. The lesson covers the roles of the student council (personero estudiantil), the school council (consejo directivo), the academic council (consejo academico), and the parents' council (consejo de padres). Participants analyze how the Catedra de la Paz can teach democratic participation through direct experience in these governance bodies. The activity requires participants to design a simulation or project in which students practice democratic decision-making, such as a mock election, a participatory budget exercise, or a student-led school improvement initiative. After this lesson, participants can use the gobierno escolar as a pedagogical tool for teaching democratic citizenship.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Diversity and reconciliation

Participants examine how the Catedra de la Paz addresses diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation across difference, drawing on Decreto 1038 de 2015 and Decreto 1421 de 2017. The lesson covers the principles of pluralism, non-discrimination, and intercultural respect, and it addresses the specific obligations to include students with disabilities, indigenous and Afro-Colombian students, and students from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Participants analyze case studies of schools that have successfully integrated diversity and reconciliation into their peace education, identifying the strategies that worked and the challenges they faced. The activity requires participants to design a lesson that teaches reconciliation through the lens of a specific form of diversity, such as ethnic diversity, linguistic diversity, or disability. After this lesson, participants can design inclusive peace education that respects and celebrates diversity.

Lesson 12. Assessing peace and citizenship learning

Participants learn to assess student learning in the Catedra de la Paz and citizenship competencies, using formative and summative assessment aligned to the Saber 11 citizenship competencies examination. The lesson explains the ICFES framework for assessing citizenship competencies, including the types of items used, the competencies assessed, and the scoring methodology. Participants practice writing assessment items that measure the cognitive, emotional, and communicative competencies that the catedra develops. The activity requires participants to design a formative assessment for one unit of the catedra, including a rubric that aligns with the citizenship competencies framework. After this lesson, participants can design valid and reliable assessments of peace and citizenship learning and can use Saber 11 data to improve their instruction.

Lesson 13. Age-appropriate design

Participants learn to sequence the Catedra de la Paz content across the educational levels from preschool through media (educacion media), ensuring that the content is developmentally appropriate and that it builds progressively across grades. The lesson draws on Decreto 1038 de 2015, which requires the catedra to be adapted to the age and developmental stage of the students, and on the Estandares Basicos de Competencias, which define learning progressions by cycle. Participants analyze sample curriculum maps for preschool, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary to see how the same thematic field can be taught at different levels of complexity. The activity requires participants to design a spiral curriculum for one thematic field across three cycles, specifying the learning objectives, the content, and the assessment methods for each cycle. After this lesson, participants can design age-appropriate peace education that builds coherently across the school years.

Lesson 14. Whole-school peace culture

Participants learn to extend the Catedra de la Paz beyond a single subject into the whole life of the school, creating a culture of peace that permeates the institutional educational project (PEI), the school coexistence manual (manual de convivencia), and the daily practices of teachers, students, and staff. The lesson draws on Ley 1732 de 2014, which frames the catedra as a cross-cutting mandate, and on Ley 1620 de 2013, which requires the school to implement a systemic approach to coexistence. Participants analyze case studies of schools that have successfully integrated peace culture into their institutional identity, identifying the strategies that worked and the challenges they faced. The activity requires participants to conduct a peace-culture audit of their own school, identifying strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. After this lesson, participants can lead whole-school initiatives that embed peace education into the institutional fabric.

Lesson 15. Evidencing citizenship pedagogy for evaluation

Participants learn to document their peace-education and citizenship-pedagogy practice for the annual performance evaluation (evaluacion de desempeno) under Decreto 1278 de 2002 and for the ECDF competency evaluation under Decreto 1657 de 2016. The lesson teaches participants to assemble evidence of their catedra practice, including lesson plans, student work samples, assessment data, reflective journals, and video recordings of classroom practice. Participants practice writing reflective narratives that connect their peace-education practice to the evaluation criteria, demonstrating how their teaching develops citizenship competencies and meets the legal mandate. The activity requires participants to produce a portfolio entry for one unit of the catedra, including a lesson plan, a video excerpt, a self-evaluation, and a written reflection. After this lesson, participants can produce evidence of their peace-education practice that meets the standards of the performance and competency evaluations.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.