Tackling Exclusion in Higher Education: Experiences from Colombian Youth in the ‘Ser Pilo Paga’ Program

Exclusion from the Colombian higher education system has been a constant over the years for vulnerable female and male youth. The internal armed conflict, the limited coverage offered by the State, and the configuration of the system itself have deprived a considerable portion of the population of education and better life chances. To improve this situation, the recent governments have implemented many initiatives that mainly seek the enhancement of access. However, few have been the results. ‘Ser Pilo Paga’ is currently the most popular and polemic program that has the mentioned goal. This study draws on empirical evidence of a group of eighteen beneficiaries, a government official as well as secondary data to analyse the social dynamics produced by the implementation of the program. It demonstrates how those dynamics are being influenced by long processes of social exclusion, traditional policy structures, and social class differences. Simultaneously, the research shows the way these intersections interfere in the individual positionalities of the actors within the new context brought by the program. The findings unpacked hidden failures that affect the ultimate goal of tackling social exclusion in a broader sense, beyond the financial alleviation.