A Conversation with Dr. Martín Benavides, Director of IIEP-UNESCO
The Education Across the Americas Fall 2023 Course had the pleasure of welcoming as a guest lecturer the Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and Former Minister of Education of Peru, Dr. Martín Benavides
On Wednesday, October 2025, 2023, students of the course ITSF 5500 - Education Across the Americas taught by Professor Regina Cortina, engaged in conversation with Dr. Martín Benavides. It was an insightful opportunity to discuss education policymaking in Peru, his experience while being a Minister of Education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his ongoing work at the IIEP-UNESCO. This is the second time Dr. Benavides has participated as a guest speaker for the Education Across the Americas course.
During his time in office in Peru, Dr. Benavides oversaw the country's pre-primary, primary, secondary, and higher education systems and designed the national strategy for distance education in response to the pandemic. Between 2018 and 2020, he served as the head of the regulatory body of Peru's university system where he led the reform for improving the quality of higher education. In 2022, he served as Director of the Observatory of Higher Education, and from 2018, he was a senior professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (Lima). Earlier in his career, in 2002, Dr. Benavides joined the Peruvian think tank Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE), where he was first a senior researcher and then its Executive Director from 2008 to 2018.
During the panel discussion, Dr. Benavides shared his efforts to promote an educational system that would provide higher-quality education to all children and youth in Peru. He emphasized that it was crucial to drive university reform since the existing universities in Peru failed to meet basic standards. Dr. Benavides explained that in Peru, there was a lack of cooperation from political actors for the implementation of this reform. Moreover, there were numerous difficulties due to the vested interests of Peruvian state politicians. During a discussion, he mentioned that the reform was made possible due to the coalition of public opinion and an independent public institution focused on promoting quality education.
The participants asked multiple questions to Dr. Benavides. For example, Professor Cortina and a student inquired about the sustainability of the Peruvian reform in question. In response, Dr. Benavides acknowledged that the coalition supporting the reform had somewhat weakened due to negative media campaigns and communication issues in the public sector.
Dr. Benavides also shared his experience as a Minister during the pandemic. During this time, he developed the Aprendo en Casa (Learning at Home) emergency remote education program. This program enabled Peruvian students to continue their education through the Internet, television, and radio with national and international partnerships. Dr. Benavides highlighted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, his team had to implement educational programs and policies in a situation where there was a lack of solid evidence because the pandemic was a new situation for everyone. However, as a sociologist and researcher, he emphasized the importance of evidence-based decision-making in educational policy. To emphasize the importance of evidence, he gave an example of how other countries have used evidence to improve their educational systems.
Through this presentation, it became evident to all attendees that being a policymaker in Latin America is a challenging task. As a result, a TC student wanted to understand how he remained motivated despite the many challenges he described. Dr. Benavides explained that he has always worked in education throughout his professional career. Even when he moved to another scenario and institution, he remained committed to education. He emphasized that through IIEP, one can observe how policymaking in other countries incorporates evidence to strengthen their education systems.
Booklet: “The (Im)Possible Reform: Facing the Challenges of the Education Sector”
Dr. Benavides published a booklet titled “The (Im)Possible Reform: Facing the Challenges of the Education Sector. 2018-2020.” It is available in Spanish, Portuguese, and English (produced as part of the Americas Dialogue on Education Policy Book & Paper Talks Series initiative).
Former students of the International and Comparative Education Program helped develop this booklet in different languages, including Dr. Romina Quezada Morales and Gabriela Chacón Ugarte (former master's student). Other TC students were involved too, supporting the Portuguese translation and design.
From Theories to Practice
Dr. Benavides’ talk was a wonderful opportunity for students to grasp the application of class material and discussion to a real-life situation in the Ministry of Education in Peru, particularly understanding the implications of education policies, as well as the challenges and opportunities government officials face to bring about change.
— Alejandra Cespedes Ormachea and Sara M. Pan Algarra