GAPS IN LEARNING OUTCOMES IN RURAL AREAS VERSUS THE RIGHT TO QUALITY EDUCATION

Abstract

This article critically analyzes gaps in learning outcomes in rural contexts in Colombia, with the aim of contributing to the understanding of the right to quality education from a situated and equitable perspective. Using a documentary and reflective approach, recent academic sources, official reports, and regulatory frameworks are examined, articulating three lines of analysis: low learning outcomes in national tests, structural factors that deepen educational inequality, and the challenges and prospects facing rural education in the country. The findings show that deficiencies in rural academic performance are not due to individual student conditions, but rather to an accumulation of historical barriers related to institutional precariousness, the fragmentation of educational policies, and the disconnect between schools and their surrounding areas. Tensions are identified between official discourse on quality and the realities experienced by rural communities, where the right to relevant, contextualized, and fair education is violated. The article concludes that overcoming these gaps requires a profound transformation of pedagogical approaches and assessment models, as well as greater community participation in the development of educational policies. It also raises the need to continue exploring alternative ways of understanding and guaranteeing educational quality in rural Colombia, recognizing their knowledge, languages, and life projects as fundamental pillars for a dignified and transformative education.