Tecnológico de Antioquia, Colombia.
Tecnológico de Antioquia, Colombia.
The article analyzes changes in the educational proposals of Gustavo Petro and Sergio Fajardo, candidates for the presidency of Colombia, between 2018 and 2022, with a focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their educational platforms. The objective is to examine how their 2022 programs adapted to the academic challenges exacerbated by the pandemic compared with their 2018 proposals. The study applies a qualitative and comparative design, using process tracing to identify causal links between the pandemic and changes in education policy proposals. Two inferential tests, the hoop test and the smoking gun test, were used to assess the extent of the pandemic's influence. The results show that both candidates incorporated diagnoses of educational problems related to the pandemic and, in Petro's case, introduced new measures such as expanding connectivity and extending the school day. While certain proposals, such as technological innovation and infrastructure improvements, appeared in both election periods, other measures reflected adjustments to postpandemic conditions. The analysis confirmed that the pandemic acted as a catalyst for programmatic changes, particularly in the areas of technology, connectivity, ICT use, and distance learning, while revealing continuity in addressing long-standing structural challenges in Colombian education.

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