Columbus School 7th graders, Tomas Ochoa, Sofia Duque and Sofía Palau are participating in La Universidad de los Niños, a program at EAFIT for students who show high academic achievement since Elementary.

EAFIT wants to provide students from different socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity to get interested in science and other subjects through  questions, conversations, games and experiments. From the beginning,  La Universidad de los Niños  has been composed by kids from a variety of private and public schools in Medellin.

“This program has the purpose of uniting kids and teenagers from different social contexts and help them establish a perdurable relationship with the scientific and investigative knowledge that is produced in the University of EAFIT,” said Ana Cristina Abad, Program Coordinator, said.

The program aims to gather kids from different socioeconomic status’ one Friday a month to develop a question for investigation and work throughout the year develop its answer. The program’s main focus is on humanities, arts, science, math, music and engineering.

“Another great advantage is the socialization that this experience allows since students from many places and socio-economic conditions to share with each other. This program gives students the possibility of an encounter without prejudices and differences, ” said William Duque, Columbus School 7th grade teacher and coordinator of La Universidad de los Niños, said.  

The program is composed of two phases which have no cost, and a third phase that has to be paid for. The first phase is the investigation of the question where students, with the help of activities, labs, museum visits, etc, students answer questions they have created. develop questions and work on a project throughout the whole year. 

“At the University of the children they have helped me awaken my curiosity about science and the problems we encounter every day,” said Sofia Duque, 7th grader participant of the program.

EAFIT  emphasizes learning rather than teaching, and  wants students to learn the realities and needs in a local and national context. In the second phase of the program, Expeditions,  students choose an area of inquiry to focus on. Finally, the third phase, Experimentos, students start to meet once a week to learn about the area they chose in phase two.

“Most students tend to quit the program when they get to the third phase, because the school isn’t very supportive when kids miss class to attend classes at EAFIT,” said Camila Duque, 11th grade participant, said. 

EAFIT used to give TCS multiple spots for students to participate in this program, however, since fewer students continue through all three phases, EAFIT offers the opportunity to participate to fewer students.

“I used to fight a lot for this program since it was a great opportunity for kids, but students started to quit because they didn’t have time to participate. Additionally, participating in the program gives kids a bigger opportunity to study in EAFIT and to even win a partial scholarship,” said William Duque.