Pasto, 08/20/2020

Special student positions were opened at Nariño University thanks to the management of the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN). The University's 115 undergraduate programs offer student positions for children of ex-combatants in Nariño to access higher education at no cost in the department.

With the approval of the Academic Council and the Superior Council of the University of Nariño, through a statutory modification, it was possible to extend the current benefits of ex-combatants to children of individuals in processes of reintegration and reincorporation in the Department of Nariño.  

Starting 2020-II and indefinitely, more than 90 young people will benefit special a number of special student positions per undergrad program at the University.

This initiative was possible thanks to the steadfast will and tireless unyielding commitment of Universidad de Nariño University, which provides an opportunity for the process of return to civilian life of ex-combatants to developed in a comprehensive manner, consolidating the educational and family component within the framework of reincorporation and reintegration routes.

"This is an act of equality and social impact. No longer does this benefit apply to people who were in illegal armed groups; it also extends to their children. Opening the door to higher education for our young people in the department of Nariño contributes to building a stable and lasting peace, "said Carlos Solarte Portilla, President of the University of Nariño. 

The need for access to higher education is especially dire on the part of the youngest. The vast majority of the adult ex-combatant population is currently completing elementary and high school studies, applying what they have learned in productive projects, training for the trades and employment. 

"We are sure that, by impacting the family, we are directly impacting the life project of the ex-combatant population. With these initiatives, we contribute to the construction of Peace with Legality in our department ", concluded Diego Bastidas, Coordinator of the Nariño Territorial Group of the ARN.

These student positions for ex-combatant children are an extension of the special positions initially granted by  Nariño University, focused on the vulnerable population, victims of the conflict, the indigenous population, the Afro-Colombian population, people with disabilities and outstanding athletes.

Data of interest

• 180 persons in Nariño are engaged in the reintegration process, and 454 more individuals are engaged in the reincorporation process.
• The University of Nariño is present in the city of Pasto with its main headquarters and has 3 additional headquarters in the municipalities of Tumaco, Ipiales and Tuquerres, where there are approximately 361 families of ex-combatant population, who will be able to benefit in the long term with the special quotas for said population.
• Nariño University has 11 schools and 115 undergraduate programs – 23 of which are undergraduate programs accredited with high quality awards by the Ministry of National Education: Agroforestry Engineering, Psychology, Agroindustrial Engineering, Bachelor's Degree in Basic Education with Emphasis in Natural Sciences, Bachelor's Degree in Spanish Language, Animal Science, Electronic Engineering, Law, Visual Arts, Bachelor's Degree in English and French, Civil Engineering, Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Letters, Bachelor of Social Sciences, Bachelor of Visual Arts, Bachelor of Computer Science, Economics, Bachelor of Music, Health Promotion Technology, Biology, Systems Engineering, Bachelor of Mathematics, Bachelor of Spanish and English, and Agronomic Engineering.