The implementation of the ‘Buen Vivir’ principle in Ecuador: A look into how citizen’s capacity and potential is built through education
Objective 4 of the National Plan for Good Living (PNBV) is Ecuador’s response to the challenge in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of the United Nations (UN). It is aimed at building citizens’ capacity and potential through education. How institutions in Ecuador implemented PNBV 4 to meet the goals of SDG 4, and the implications that the operationalization of its goals had on the achievement of its targets serve as the rationale of this study.
Using an exploratory approach, data culled from selected national and international databases from 2013-2017 point to three goals – democratization of access to education, completion of studies, and promotion of continuing education as key in achieving quality education. While these goals have produced satisfactory percentages and accomplished targets, they have also produced nuances and contestations that define the complexity of implementing broad policies that emanate from a much broader set of SDGs.
Keywords: education, development, sustainability, goal, citizenship
