The MEIS develops two lines of knowledge generation and application, responding to the purposes of the program and the type of skills, attitudes and knowledge expected of those who finish the program. Within each of these lines, very diverse educational projects and initiatives are developped.
a) Interculturality in educational systems for sustainable societies
This line addresses problems and challenges that affect the relationship between school education processes and the environment in contexts of recognition of different types of diversity. We assume that environmental problems are also social problems that unequally affect the lives of human groups. In this sense, the line links education at different school levels with issues related to environmental care, quality of life, social and gender equity, health, regional development, peace, justice and democracy, among others, emphasizing on values and citizenship formation. The line analyzes and accompanies the articulation, diversification and interculturalization of school agents, spaces and educational processes. Our starting point principles are the recognition of cultural and linguistic diversity in contexts of social inequality and the development of culturally relevant educational programs that may be useful to build sustainable societies. Our aim with this line is that educational institutions contribute to the construction of an appropriate understanding of the world, generating responsible attitudes and behaviors and forming critical subjects to take decisions and actions aimed at creating sustainable societies.
b) Intercultural management for sustainability
This line aims at generating and applying knowledge related to extra-school educational processes that, from an intercultural approach, address issues related to sustainability, revealing asymmetries between social sectors, models of social organization, cultures and knowledge systems. The convergence and theoretical and practical complementarity between different agents and actors involved in the design and implementation of educational proposals are sought, in order to create dialogues of knowledge that allow hybridizing scientific knowledge with knowledge generated by native indigenous cultures around nature and forms of productive use and care of ecosystems. This deepens the discussion about the cultural ways of conceiving and managing good living to lead the integration of the social (quality of life) and the political (governance) dimensions.
