JOSÉ ANTONIO ENCINAS: BIOGRAPHY AND PEDAGOGICAL THOUGHT - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

José Antonio Encinas (1888-1958) was a renowned Peruvian educator, who was in charge of watching over and defending the education of his country through the proposition of educational ideas and reforms. In addition, he maintained an active political participation.

One of his main contributions was the construction of an organic educational system that would serve most of the children and young people within Peru. He began by practicing his reforming ideas first in Puno, his hometown, and then extending his doctrine to the capital, where he founded the Dalton College.

The most characteristic feature of Encinas' action has to do with the struggle for the vindication of the indigenous community of Peru by facilitating better access to education. Encinas' social work covered with special attention the child population of the Peruvian indigenous communities.

Biography

José Antonio Encinas Franco was born in the city of Puno, located in northwestern Peru, on May 30 in 1888. His parents were Matilde Franco and Mariano Encina.

Training

His first studies were carried out at the institution known as the Glorious National College of San Carlos, located in Puno. This school was the oldest and most important in the region. Later, in 1907 he was elected as director of the 881 Men's School Center, where he began his teaching experience.

In 1915 he traveled to the capital to obtain his bachelor's degree and doctorate in Letters, graduating from the Normal School of San Marcos.

Then he did a doctorate in the discipline of jurisprudence at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, which is considered the most important educational institution in Peru. In turn, he was chosen as director of the Normal School of San Marcos.

In 1927, thanks to a scholarship granted by the Carnegie Foundation, José Antonio Encinas was able to carry out other studies abroad; for example, he got a master's degree in Anthropology from Cambridge, England. He also acquired a Ph.D. in Educational Sciences from the Sorbonne University, France.

In addition, during this period he toured other regions of Europe, where he was able to teach courses and hold conferences. In fact, he visited places like Bologna and Padua (Italian cities) and Oxford (British university city).

Political and educational action

He was deputy for the province of Puno in 1919; However, he was exiled to Guatemala due to his ideas against the newly elected President Augusto Leguía in 1924.

In Guatemala he was able to work as a professor of Psychology at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala, the most prestigious and oldest university in the Central American country. There he was also an advisor to the Ministry of Education.

In 1930 President Leguía was overthrown, which allowed Encinas to return to his homeland. A year later he was elected to the post of rector at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and later, in 1950, he was selected again for the post of senator from the department of Puno.

Final years

After exercising his position as senator, José Antonio Encinas dedicated himself exclusively to writing his last texts from the year 1956.

Already in his old age, the author could not enjoy any type of pension from the State. Encinas died in the capital of Peru, Lima, on July 10, 1958.

Pedagogical thinking

Regarding his pedagogical thinking, experts establish that Encinas was a revolutionary in education; it is even said that his teaching ideas are still valid today. In addition, he is recognized for having focused on the vindication and education of the Peruvian indigenous figure.

In the same way, it has been argued that Encinas covered many fields in terms of different educational problems. For example, she was concerned about factors such as university reform, the indigenous population, the protection of child psychology and the role that parents play during their children's infancy.

Education within the social field

One of the clearly argued ideas proposed by the author was that, rather than being a pedagogical complication, the educational problem was of a social nature.

In other words, if the children were undernourished or weakened due to poverty conditions, they would not want to study, since they would not have the courage or interest to learn.

In addition, Encinas also argued that the State was not taking into account the social reality of his country, which was causing the educational system to fail. It even established that the State only relied on foreign experiences, leaving aside the needs of the indigenous population.

One of the solutions proposed by the author was that the State should be in charge of providing food and clothing to the poorest communities.

Redefinition of Peruvian schools

Encinas established that, when talking about the Peruvian school, the foundations of this could not be forged from the abstract, but that each school had to ensure that it works according to the different needs of its social environment, placing itself in the context. The author proposed that schools should be put at the service of their respective communities.

Similarly, the author proposed that each school should be properly organized and structured before teaching classes.

For example, it was established that it was necessary to create different groups that would watch over agriculture, architecture, hygiene, sports, music and dance. In this way, student participation in social work was encouraged.

Contributions

Without a doubt, the most significant contribution of Antonio Encinas has to do with his concern for the vindication of the indigenous population.

Due to this, the author promoted different laws that advocated for the education of the Indian and for the protection of rural schools, since these should function around the creation of new citizens and should not encourage the creation of “serfs”.

More important works

Throughout his life, Encinas wrote several books and articles, these being published in different magazines. Some of his most important works, which are still valid today, are:

-The education of the Indian, published in 1908.

-Education: its social function and the problem of nationality, 1913.

-A New School Essay in Peru, 1932.

References

1. Flores, B. (2012): "The pedagogical thought of José Antonio Encinas". Retrieved on September 28, 2018 from Scribd: es.scribd.com
2. Quispe, B. (2012) ”Origins of the pedagogical thought of José Antonio Encinas and its validity in the dcn”. Retrieved on September 28, 2018 from the National Council of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation: alicia.concytec.gob.pe
3. Valle, R. (sf): "Dialogue with José Antonio Encinas". Retrieved on September 28, 2018 from the National Autonomous University of Mexico: revistadelauniversidad.unam.mx
4. Robles, E. (2009) "The educational work of Jose Antonio Encinas". Retrieved on September 28, 2018 from Antenor Orrego Private University: journal.upao.edu.pe
5. Canduelas, A. (2001) José Antonio Encinas: pedagogical reference for the teaching profession. Retrieved on September 26, 2018 from La República: larepublica.pe