"All education is a long work of love to those who learn"

Almost one hundred years since the university reform led by Argentine students in June of 1918, the Permanent Symposium of the University of Azuay met to reflect on the University at present, its autonomy, student participation, and the state of the education after university reform.

To understand the context of the symposium it is necessary to locate a century ago, when university education in Latin America was reserved for the bourgeoisie, and controlled by monastic groups. At that time the students were completely separated from the university environment, the directors were for life and dogmatic education.

Among all the limitations, the reformist spirit of a group of students who yearned for a new education and a radical change in the relations between students and teachers, made that a new way of looking at education and rescuing it from the deepest of its roots.

After having participated in revolts against an alleged alteration of results for the election of university representatives, the students published the Liminar Manifesto of the University Federation of Córdoba, in which they expressed their criticism of the absence of democratization, the mediocrity of teaching, and the loss of the proper sense of education: The love of teaching.

After being published and until today, the university reform had a transcendental role in the evolution of education, which led to rethink about the educational model and, in addition, to relocate the student role in the university.

Today, after a hundred years, the changes brought by the reform are analyzed, as well as the setbacks that have been experienced. Thus and with the aim of generating a conversation starting from the manifesto, the symposium began.

Francisco Salgado, Rector of the University of Azuay, commented on the new context facing the modern university: "The University needs to open up and make its chairs more flexible since we are currently in another context ... The danger is that we are forgetting that we are here to the learning, because the professors we should not be anchored only to the chairs ".

Next Carlos Rojas Reyes, philosopher and honorary professor of the university, referred to the approach of the university reform on the autonomy. He mentioned that the battle for this continues to be a constant struggle, since paradoxically there is no total independence of the State.

In the same way, Rojas reflected on the role of the student at present, because although before with the university reform it was proposed that the student also be an active participant in the university, for Rojas that role has almost completely disappeared:

"There is no student movement in Ecuador that thinks of new university reforms and reflects on new proposals." He also discussed the need for the student to reflect outside the institutional framework and reflect on the university itself.

The dialogue was extended to students who expressed concern about the progressive critical loss of students, the state of student representatives and the irony of the current student community, which pays more attention to agendas than to education.

The Permanent Symposium will continue with two more sessions between May and June to continue generating discussion and reflection on the university community.