Venezuela and Education Transformation for the Development of the People

Abstract

To write about education in Venezuela in only one chapter is indeed challenging, maybe even more challenging than the huge changes that have occurred in the education system especially in the last ten years. Before 1999, there were changes marked by the country’s historical development (López de D’Amico and González 2006), nevertheless the changes that have taken place in the last ten years start with the constitution and national education legislation. Fortunately we can say that educational changes have been made for the benefit of Venezuelan society. Until recently, when people referred to Venezuela they tended to associate it with oil and beauty contests. However, due to the mass media there are now two diverse views, either it is seen as a revolutionary vibrant country or as a place where there is social tension, it all depends on the view of those who control the information. But what is clear is that we have the oldest democracy in Latin America and currently it is the place where people can express their ideas openly and where changes are the products of democratic elections. These can be sustained by those who live there and have experienced the social changes in the last fifty years or more.