Education for Social Change. Peru 1972-1975

Abstract

The education reform implemented by the military regime of Juan Velasco (1968-1975) in Peru was the result of the alliance between a progressive branch of the armed forces and a group of cosmopolitan intellectuals influenced by radical pedagogy from the 60s and 70s, but also loyal to a long progressive tradition in education from Peru and Latin America. Analysis of this truncated project brings to light critical debates about politics and ideology in education and resonates with contemporary discussions about development and post development studies. The contemporary significance of the 1972 education reform is that its legacy, embodied in conspicuous members of the education community, played a role in the application of the neoliberal reforms in education in Peru in the 1990s, and helped envision a consensual educational project for the future.