Promoting academic development in Peru’s regions
Rodrigo Ormeño
Project Officer at the Economic and Social Research Consortium (CIES)
In December 2022, the project "Towards a new generation of teachers in universities in the regions" was launched by the Economic and Social Research Consortium (CIES) with funding from the Manuel J. Bustamante de la Fuente Foundation. The objective of this initiative was to strengthen the research capabilities of teaching or research assistants working in universities outside Lima, so that they can become part of universities faculty in their respective regions.
In the first phase, we convened a free training program where we had 46 participants from Junín, Piura, Apurímac, Arequipa, Cusco, Ayacucho, La Libertad, Puno, Áncash, Amazonas and Callao. They took courses on National Reality and Research Methodology with high-level professors. At the end of this training, they applied for a scholarship of S/. 10 000 for the development of their master's thesis.
Thus began the second phase, the accompaniment and specialized advice to ten selected researchers, which culminated with the submission of their master's theses. The topics chosen were: citizen participation and social conflicts, public funds and startups, air pollution in restaurants, public investment and district growth in northern regions, mining production and its effect on industry, financial services and household welfare, and even the proposal of a new environmental management system for a university in Amazonas.
The third phase consisted of a strong dissemination of this research. The researchers were able to present their findings in regional academic forums where they received feedback from other researchers and university professors. In addition, a printed and digital publication was produced with summaries of their master's theses, infographics were designed, podcasts were published about the studies, and the researchers were interviewed in local media.
DECENTRALIZING THE ACADEMY
As Dr. Manuel Bustamante Olivares, president of the M. J. Bustamante de la Fuente Foundation, pointed out, this research enriches the national debate by offering a vision of the various problems we face as a country, from the point of view of professionals trained in different regions of Peru.
In this project, the contribution of these young researchers to academia has been enhanced thanks to the key support of the Foundation M. J. Bustamante de la Fuente. It’s important to count on the participation of companies and foundations to continue promoting initiatives that will generate more and better teachers in all regions of Peru, closing the gap with respect to Lima.
With their master's theses completed, the group of researchers who participated in the project are better prepared to develop in university teaching and represent the promise of a new generation of academics who will contribute to the progress of the regions in which they live or work.
More information about the project here: https://cies.org.pe/proyecto/proyecto-hacia-una-nueva-generacion-de-docentes-en-las-universidades-de-regiones/