Education Reform of 2019 - Columbia

Rationale

Reforms modernize education: secular ethics boost inclusivity, raising school age improves youth outcomes, phone flexibility supports digital skills, and fair tuition fees sustain quality higher education financially.

Proposed Changes

	Law	Previous	Proposed
1	Religious Education in Schools	Optional religious classes	Strictly secular education
2	School Leaving Age	Compulsory to 16	Compulsory education/training to 18
3	State-Funded Faith Schools	No new state-funded faith schools	State funds secular schools only
4	University Tuition	Free higher education for all	Tuition fees
5	School Selection	Comprehensive, no selection	Selective grammar schools by exam

1

Religious Education in Schools

Previous law

Optional religious classes

Strictly secular education

2

School Leaving Age

Previous law

Compulsory to 16

Compulsory education/training to 18

3

State-Funded Faith Schools

Previous law

No new state-funded faith schools

State funds secular schools only

4

University Tuition

Previous law

Free higher education for all

Tuition fees

5

School Selection

Previous law

Comprehensive, no selection

Selective grammar schools by exam

Proposer

Party

Labour

For those who toil not those who exploit. We forge justice in the fires of change.

Core pillars

AC

Andrew Collins

Activist · Age 31

15,686 social followers

A former academic who traded ivory-tower debates for street-level activism, Andrew Collins cut his teeth exposing corporate lobbying with meticulous research and a knack for turning dry data into viral soundbites.

🎓 Academic 🔬 Analytical 📺 Media Savvy 🌍 Outsider

Timeline

Draft

30 October 2018
Vote Open

23 August 2019
Vote Closed

22 October 2019
Did Not Become Law

22 October 2019

Vote tally

Live tally across each chamber. Weighted by seats held.

Senate

Failed

0Yes 87No 13Not voted 100 seats

For: 0 / 100 seats (0.0%)

Against: 87 · Abstained: 0 · Not voted: 13

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 0.0%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Conservative Alliance Of Columbia (CAC)	79	No	Parents no longer able to make choices for religious classes? Worse is the tuition fees What happens to poor who cannot afford the tuition fees? This isn't what was expected from a left wing party
Free Citizens Alliance	8	No	I take issue with banning religious classes and taking their funding away. Additionally, students should have the freedom to leave at 16.
Labour Proposer	0	Yes	No reason given
National Conservative Alliance	0	No	We oppose these reforms because they risk expanding government control over education and reducing the role of parents and local communities. Schools should focus on core academics, personal responsibility, and preparing students for success without unnecessary mandates or increased costs on families and taxpayers.
Peoples Columbian Socialist Alliance	0	No	Tuition fees ???????????What happened to the right to have an education in religious studies
Sexto Sentido	0	Yes	Because our party thinks that it's important to have a good education in Columbia, and we are going to stage a coup
Empty seats	26	Not voted

House of Representatives

Failed

78Yes 262No 95Not voted 435 seats

For: 78 / 435 seats (17.9%)

Against: 262 · Abstained: 0 · Not voted: 95

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 22.9%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Conservative Alliance Of Columbia (CAC)	76	No	Parents no longer able to make choices for religious classes? Worse is the tuition fees What happens to poor who cannot afford the tuition fees? This isn't what was expected from a left wing party
Free Citizens Alliance	114	No	I take issue with banning religious classes and taking their funding away. Additionally, students should have the freedom to leave at 16.
Labour Proposer	78	Yes	No reason given
National Conservative Alliance	0	No	We oppose these reforms because they risk expanding government control over education and reducing the role of parents and local communities. Schools should focus on core academics, personal responsibility, and preparing students for success without unnecessary mandates or increased costs on families and taxpayers.
Peoples Columbian Socialist Alliance	72	No	Tuition fees ???????????What happened to the right to have an education in religious studies
Sexto Sentido	0	Yes	Because our party thinks that it's important to have a good education in Columbia, and we are going to stage a coup
Empty seats	103	Not voted

Presidency

Failed

0Yes 1No 0Not voted 1 seat

For: 0 / 1 seats (0.0%)

Against: 1 · Abstained: 0 · Not voted: 0

Passes unless the office holder votes against (abstention counts as pass)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Conservative Alliance Of Columbia (CAC)	1	No	No reason given

Voting record

Every vote must state a public reason. Most recent first.

N

National Conservative Alliance

Voted Oct. 14, 2019

No

“We oppose these reforms because they risk expanding government control over education and reducing the role of parents and local communities. Schools should focus on core academics, personal responsibility, and preparing students for success without unnecessary mandates or increased costs on families and taxpayers.”

Sexto Sentido

Voted Sept. 2, 2019

Yes

“Because our party thinks that it's important to have a good education in Columbia, and we are going to stage a coup”

Free Citizens Alliance

Voted Aug. 31, 2019

No

“I take issue with banning religious classes and taking their funding away. Additionally, students should have the freedom to leave at 16.”

Peoples Columbian Socialist Alliance

Voted Aug. 23, 2019

No Changed vote

“Tuition fees ???????????What happened to the right to have an education in religious studies”

Peoples Columbian Socialist Alliance

Voted Aug. 23, 2019

Yes

“Tuition fees?????????????????????????????????? the right to have an education in religion should always remain.”

Conservative Alliance Of Columbia (CAC)

Voted Aug. 23, 2019

No

“Parents no longer able to make choices for religious classes? Worse is the tuition fees What happens to poor who cannot afford the tuition fees? This isn't what was expected from a left wing party”