Education, land and health have for years been a source of claim for the indigenous institutions of Bolivia. The creation of the Indigenous University of Bolivia was an old aspiration of the country's associations, citizenship and government. In August 2008 came the day they wanted so much, when Unibol was born through a decree of the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, the University of the Kichus Indigena. One of the main objectives of the project is the training of people who, after studying, return to and collaborate in their villages. In this way, it is intended to curb the migratory movement currently occurring in the communities and strengthen the economic characteristics of the counties.

The University is located in the municipality of Chimoré (Cochabamba department in central Bolivia) and has about 500 students. In the jungle, they are trained to work in the food industry, agronomy and fishing, and different degrees are offered depending on the number of years they have completed: at the end of the university, it will be the senior technician, graduate or engineer or master who has studied in it.

The initiative is important for the indigenous peoples and nations of Bolivia, as it is a unique opportunity for students who have not so far been selected for higher education. According to Elizabeth Estrada, Director of Administrative Finance at the University of Unibol, “going to university is an expense; people have to go from town to city and often the economic resources do not allow it”. The University of Kitxuen has found a solution to this problem, as students receive grants from the country ' s associations. It is the University that, through the grant granted by the associations, pays everything related to the food, stay and education of the students. Therefore, the project offers the possibility of access to higher education despite having little money.

Students are in a boarding school system, so in addition to the classrooms they have their residence in the center. This is one of the characteristics that distinguishes the Indigenous University from other universities in Bolivia. Coexistence is an important support, because it is intended to create a collaborative community. As detailed in the schedule, in some moments they will work in the classroom and in others on the ground, with the aim of putting into practice what is theoretically learned. And that is that the main objective is the creation of a productive university, that the knowledge acquired in the schools be useful for its later use in reality. For this purpose, the studies are divided into two parts: 40% are theoretical classes and 60% are practical.

From the moment they arrive, a function is assigned to each student. “The same thing is done with the faculty and the staff of the administration, we all work together, we have the obligation to relate to the motherland,” says Estrada. For example, the coke plant is produced by students, professors and staff of the administration in collaboration. Therefore, each person in the community has their tasks and the hours dedicated to production. In short, the activity of both students and faculty is directed in two directions: learning and teaching. They have created pedagogical spaces of relationship between students, faculty and administration staff at the university.

Reinforcing cultural identity

The University has a series of milestones, among which is the importance that the University grants to knowledge and cultural diversity. Unibol seeks to strengthen the cultural identity of the Queches among the students. In the words of the rector of the university, Jaime Zambrana, this identity is highlighted through the mutual relationship and the community created, since it is important that the students work and enhance their own culture and language. The rector also believes that modern knowledge should be shared and related to the Queches of Knowledge: “In this project we also want to accommodate indigenous knowledge in the academic aspect. It is the university itself, the dialogue between the knowledge”.

It is clear that this philosophy is also maintained when it comes to the choice of teachers. Two types of professors are distinguished: on the one hand, those with an academic degree and, on the other, those who consider Quechua as a scholar in culture. They work at the same level, as Unibol’s pedagogical project is based on the relationship between civilizations.

However, as Estrada and Zambrana have told us, they have not yet achieved the objectives set in the linguistic field and are working to promote this aspect. Although some subjects are in the Quechua language, most of them are taught in Spanish. The reason is that there are teachers who don't know how to speak Quichua. “We are also working on it, as the intention is for teachers to learn the language and perform their work in our language,” says Jaime Zambrana. University officials have pointed out that Kitxuera is deployed in Bolivia, but that there are still obstacles in the way of normalization.

Solid base

The advances that have occurred since 2008 in the CAV and Navarra have followed two main lines. On the one hand, they have been in charge of creating the infrastructure, the physical university. In addition, the consolidation of the academic project has been fundamental. Gradually, teaching and administrative teams have been set up and the way management is strengthened today. “In this stabilization process, the participation of indigenous institutions and associations, which know that they are their universities, which are the protagonists, has been fundamental,” stressed the rector.

Faced with the future, there are not a few challenges that have been set, but they have a process of evaluation to go down the road and prepare the best possible for the future. According to the country’s leaders, citizens recognize their work and consider it necessary. So that everyone has the same opportunities to learn, prepare and have a promising future.