48% of public school principals in the country believe that teachers do not have the necessary technical and pedagogical skills to integrate digital devices in their teaching. In contrast, only 12% of private school principals believe so.

23% of teachers in public schools are over 60 years old.

Bogotá, March 20, 2020 In the context of the suspension of classes in Colombia as a preventive measure against COVID-19, the Economics of Education Laboratory (LEE) of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana conducts a statistical analysis that shows the scope and challenges of virtual education in Colombia.

After analyzing the lack of Internet coverage and computer access in the homes of the country's public school students, LEE is now wondering whether teachers have the skills to teach using digital tools.

"It is pertinent to wonder how prepared teachers are to carry out academic activities virtually, since their lack of training would be a limitation to teaching virtual classes," says Luz Karime Abadía, Co-Director of the Economics of Education Laboratory.

According to the PISA 2018 tests, 48% of public school principals in the country believe that teachers do not have the necessary technical and pedagogical skills to integrate digital devices in their teaching. In contrast, only 12% of private school principals believe so.

The lack of command of technologies or digital media is known as digital illiteracy, which may be due to the lack of access to resources and training, and also the lack of willingness to learn how to use new tools, which may be related to age or skills in handling technologies.

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