Mehrere Satelliten sehen die Erde - Several satellites see the Earth - Varios satélites ven la Tierra - Plusieurs satellites voient le Monde - Molti satelliti vedono la Terra - Vários satélites vêem a Terra
Bahia, Brasil,

José Abelardo Núñez's bust in bronze located at Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins in front of the School of Teachers, whose building belongs today to the University of Santiago.

A Latin-American Paradigm:

Prof. José Abelardo Núñez Murúa

(1840 - 1910)

 

Professor José Abelardo Núñez Murúa initiated his life as an Educator under the verification of the principle that "it is a duty indeed to teach those who know nothing".

  • "A vocation for public service has no sense at all if it is not within the development mark of popular culture and people's education".
  • The most stable and firm basis for Democracy relies on people's education".
  • "The principle of Freedom ruling societies nowadays along with men's dignity uplifting, summons them to constitute a responsible entity, imposing the duty to become dignified by participating in common work to developing and cultivating their faculties. We have reached to a moment where not a single civilized country refutes importance on people's education, because all illustrated spirits are convinced that education is the most solid basis of all for Progress and is the only place where Peace may rely. A nation that has the best schools is the best one and if it is not today, it shall be it tomorrow".
  • "The basic problem for an Educational Reform is schoolmasters' upgrading".
  • "The Reform consist of the path from the routine memorization teaching method to the use of rational methods that wake up intelligence, judgment exercising as well as reasoning, contributing also with the individual's character formation. Our duty is to call up the attention of all government and our fellowcitizens to the main cause that keeps ignorance everlasting: maintenance of a false education that under the empire of wrong ideas, one is driven to the fallacy of believing to have accomplished the duty as an Educator when a student hardly repeats and repeats a sentence without the spirit capturing the main idea unless empty words.

*Senator Roberto Muñoz Barra statements during inauguration of Prof. José Abelardo Núñez Murua statue at the Plaza del Centro, in Santiago de Chile. (Monday, 9th August 1999)..

"His light illuminates today and will continue to do so to Chile's future teachers."- Sen. Roberto Muñoz Barra

Biographical data

José Abelardo Núñez Murúa was born in Santiago de Chile in the middle of a family of educators. His father was José María Núñez. José Abelardo became an orphan at the age of 14, he studied at the National Institute and soon attended the Law School at the University of Chile, where he graduated as a lawyer in 1865. Although he worked as such and was very much close to politics, his vocation focused educational problems early.

In 1866, he participated of the foundation of the Society of Primary Education - of which Abelardo Núñez was its secretary since the beginning and also the director of the Bulletin of Education, the official diffusion organ.

In recognition to his capacities, the central government commissioned him in 1878 to travel to Europe and the United States, to know the basic education and high school systems besides the programs for teachers' formation, foreseeing a possible application in Chile.

Between 1879 and 1882, he mailed articles and essays to Valparaiso's "El Mercurio" and Santiagos's " El Ferrocarril " newspapers from several places at the Northern Hemisphere, exposing his observations intelligently.

The Impeller of Education. After returning from Europe in 1882, Núñez wrote: "Organization of Schools for Teachers", a report that was thoroughly accepted above all for reconciling a reforming vision with a realistic look concerning how to impel Chile's education. In 1888, he was designated General Inspector of Primary Education and promoted the creation of elementary schools in the whole country and Schools for Teachers at Copiapó, La Serena, Chillán, Victória and Valdivia. In order to have teachers formed he impelled the hiring of German, Swiss and Austrian educators and cared for the teachers' constant upgrading.

No area was forbidden to him as an innovator of education, being, besides that, the founder of the Pedagogic Museum. He also impelled funding for school furniture, didactic material and libraries.

The American Reader*. Among the works written by Núñez there are two that marked generations of Chilean children and of other countries. Abelardo Núñez published a spelling-book, a book that taught the first letters and a text of gradual reading entitled "The American Reader" that was used at Chilean schools longer than 40 years, being also drawn on as an official Spanish Language Manual at primary schools of several countries in Central America.

This distinguished educator, an active member of Chile's Council of Public Education until the end of his days, died in Santiago de Chile in August 1910.
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* "American" meaning "Americano/ Americana" whether in Spanish or Portuguese was a word used since it was created to designate those born anywhere in the whole Continent known as America. This, of course, until some U.S. Government official decided to appropriate it as theirs to designate just those born in the USA. Then, they created the expression "The Americas" to appoint North, Central and South America but the USA stayed as "America" and the other inhabitants mostly became "Latin Americans". Can one imagine "The Europes" or "The Africas" or "The Asias"?

Notice. The founder of Grosrem, Alliance of Tertiary Exchange 's is a great-grandson of Prof. José Abelardo Núñez Murúa.