The development of educational research in Nicaragua

“It is necessary to make decisions not intuitively, but based on scientific rigor” 

The thirteenth edition of the KIX Conversations was attended by Rossny Antonio Peña Almanza, head of the Department of Educational Research of the Ministry of Education of Nicaragua, member of the Network of Educational Researchers of Nicaragua (RIENIC) and representative of the KIX LAC Center for this country, who was interviewed by Dr. Maciel Morales Aceitón, KIX LAC researcher.

The Network of Educational Researchers of Nicaragua was created as part of a process of articulation and search for quality improvement. It is integrated by pedagogical advisors of the Ministry of Education, teachers of basic, secondary and higher education and teachers of national technology, directors of educational centers and students. All of them are focused on strengthening and developing a research culture in the country’s educational community through research on how to address needs and formulate projects and programs that generate significant changes in the institutional work of each educational subsystem. 

According to Peña Almanza, research must be in itself a motivation and must be carried out by people who are interested in acquiring new knowledge, therefore, this is one of the fundamental qualities in all the people who wish to belong to the network. The way to connect with the group and become a member of it is through a voluntary selection process, which is done annually through a public call. 

When asked about the limitations for the development of research in Latin America and the Caribbean, the researcher assures that one of the main ones is the lack of a research culture, “many times, we are comfortable with what we are doing and we do not question the ways in which things are being done and we ignore research as a necessity to provide solutions to problems and from it, generate new knowledge and help to solve needs”.

Finally, Peña Almanza invited the new generations to get involved in research topics, highlighting the importance of data and studies for decision making. Also, regarding the work carried out by the Ministry of Education, he emphasized that, “We share our experience and we hope it will help other educational systems, but I believe that at national and regional level it is necessary to strengthen the research culture in teachers, because they are the ones who will generate through the learning processes that research culture. Let’s change the mentality of only reproducing knowledge but generating it, encouraging students to get involved in research from basic education without feeling that it is something traumatic, but knowing that through it, results can be achieved that can transform the reality of a school, a neighborhood or a whole country”.   

Watch the video (in Spanish)