Logros y retos de la gestión pública educativa en la enseñanza primaria y secundaria en Colombia: una trayectoria bicentenaria.

This article carries out an academic exercise around the public policy for primary and secondary education that has been implemented by the Republic for over 200 years. It focuses on the variables of objectives, coverage and quality, which are examined from primary and secondary government sources and public figures interested in the subject. Under such policy, education was intended to reach the largest possible number of people and to be solid, relevant, and in tune with the cultural, social and ideological dynamics that characterized a liberal, democratic nation entering capitalism. The explanation for all this historical path is divided into three parts. The first one deals with the independence period between 1810-1821, highlighting the enormous effort made by enlightened Criollos to organize the foundations of an educational system amid the political instability of the time. The second part takes place between the enactment of a law on August 6, 1821 and Decree 429 of January 20, 1893, conceived from the search for the appropriate structural formula to build a useful quality education. The third and last part covers the 20th century, from Law 39 of 1903 until the promulgation of Law 115 of 1994 and its effects to this day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]