In Colombia, an unprecedented drop in the birth rate leads to the disappearance of hundreds of schools in one year

Published on January 26, 2025 at 08:53. / Modified on January 26, 2025 at 09:50.

5 mins. reading

It is a college that nothing predisposed to attract media attention, and yet. 126 years old, the “Sans Façon” school closed its doors for good a few weeks ago. Contrary to appearances, we are neither in Switzerland nor in France, but in Colombia, more precisely in the heart of Usaquén, one of the most exclusive districts of Bogota. The announcement of the closure via a press release last June caused a stir in the country, but it hardly surprised those who attended the college. “When I graduated in 2015, the decline was already noticeable. The teachers were leaving. The number of students was decreasing. We even went from an exclusively female establishment to a mixed establishment, but the flame was not rekindled,” says Juanita Castillo, a former student of “Sans Façon” to BBC Mundo.

If this large private institution in the capital which ceased its activities just before Christmas – traditionally marking the end of the school year in Colombia – is at the heart of the news, it is because it is added to the long list of school closures across the country. In total, 769 private colleges disappeared in a single year, as revealed by the country’s oldest daily. The Spectator on the database of the Ministry of National Education.

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