They taught reading and arithmetic without degrees. Now 216 older adults have graduated in Colombia

At 53, Sara Luz Ternera Rodríguez put on an academic gown for the first time after spending half her life teaching in the schools of Pivijay. This time, she was not standing at the board. She was waiting to receive a degree in mathematics, the subject she had taught for years without the certificate to prove it.

Her story was repeated, with variations, by 215 other graduates. The University of Magdalena awarded professional degrees to the first cohort of “500 Years, 500 Opportunities,” a program its organizers describe as the first of its kind in Colombia. It gave academic credit for knowledge that people over 45 had built through work rather than university study.

The initiative began in 2025, when Santa Marta marked 500 years since its foundation. University rector Pablo Vera Salazar announced 500 free places for Magdalena residents over 45 who also had more than 10 years of work experience. Demand exceeded the target, and 502 students enrolled.

Before starting their studies, participants underwent an unusual assessment process led by the university’s Center for the Regionalization of Education and Opportunities, known as CREO. The process recognized between 30% and 90% of knowledge acquired outside the classroom. Years spent in front of a blackboard, behind a shop counter or in community work counted as academic credit.

The first cohort included many teachers who had taught for years without attending university. Alaín Marco Álvarez Pinedo, 53, had spent 15 years teaching primary school while lacking a professional degree to support the work he did every day.