In order to promote dialogue between academia and civil society, seeking to generate information transfer, debate and experiences, the Colunga - COES "The challenge of educating for diversity" was held.

One of the global challenges in education is transferring the idea of "tolerance" to children and young people, especially in a globalized society and with different social groups that cross each day. With this in mind, Daniel Miranda -COES investigator and MIDE UC- presented a chapter of the book "Teaching Tolerance in a Globalized World".

The conversation counted on the comments of Jessica González (Director of the Leadership Center of ComunidadMujer) e Isidora Cortese (Coordinator of the Valoras UC program), in addition to having Macarena Macaya (Observatory of the Game) in moderation.

During his presentation, Miranda commented on the origins and methodologies used in the research that gave life to the book, noting that there are factors that are often ignored, but that greatly affect the way in which children perceive tolerance and equality of rights.

One of these variables in the investigation is the existence of books inside houses, which would mean greater openness to language and discussion within the home. This would have an effect on the ability of children to socialize within the classrooms.

Another of the relevant points of the research is regarding the difference that exists between boys and girls when measuring the reception they have regarding the demand for equal rights in different social groups. While girls were more open to this equality transversally, including ethnic and foreign minorities, children showed less empathy.

In addition, Daniel Miranda pointed out that among the 38 countries investigated -including Chile, Paraguay and Colombia as representatives of Latin America- the percentage of incidence of schools within this perception of equality was less than 10%, something that was also repeated in Europe and Asia.

From the civil society, Jessica González analyzed the situation, commenting that many times women are more empathetic to the object of greater discriminations during their life, something that goes from childhood to adulthood.

"The subordination of the feminine to the masculine is perpetuated in the educational systems, the language maintains the absence of the feminine, so that there is no predominant group is a challenge for men and women," said the commentator.

On the other hand, Isidora Cortese emphasized that "the group of researchers of the book isolated variables to know how much the school weighed (in the promotion of egalitarian attitudes) and the answer was less than 10%. The school weighs between 2% and 5%. This is devastating, it is very powerful that for all the time we spend in school, that is the weight in this subject. It questions us a lot. "

For Cortese, the family plays a fundamental role in the development of this area, remembering that the socioeconomic level of these also influences the development of children: "We have to ask ourselves what does the school do to gain space in this way of education? civic and citizen. He can not sit idly by. "

Isidora Cortese, Daniel Miranda and Macarena Macaya.

Source: COES