Peru's Superintendencia Nacional de Educación Superior Universitaria (Sunedu) and the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP) are advancing an agreement to promote childcare services and breastfeeding rooms in the country's universities, aiming to stop parenthood from becoming a barrier to finishing a degree.
The initiative seeks to let students with childcare responsibilities continue their studies without being forced to drop out because of family obligations. The plan proposes childcare areas, breastfeeding rooms and other protective measures within university campuses.
Sunedu's Role
The joint effort also aims to help universities meet Basic Quality Conditions (CBC), the standards required for institutions to hold a Sunedu operating license, and to serve as a reference for institutions seeking to join the higher education system.
Sunedu superintendent Vicente Espinoza said during a working meeting that the institution was ready to support the process. He said that in addition to supervising regulatory compliance at public universities, Sunedu can promote initiatives involving nurseries, breastfeeding rooms and good practices aimed at students in vulnerable situations at private universities.
Building on Existing Programs
The plan also envisions drawing on early childhood care models already in place, such as the Educuna program, to develop suitable spaces within universities. The proposal calls for adapted infrastructure, safe environments and trained staff to care for students' children.
Under the plan, young people with children could have access to services near their classrooms while carrying out their academic activities, easing the difficulty of balancing studies with parenting responsibilities.
Incentives for Universities
Sunedu is also considering using tools such as its university ranking, the Biennial Report and the guidance work of the Directorate for Evaluation of University Higher Education Services (Diresesu). Under these measures, universities that implement better services for families would receive special recognition.
The proposal aims to move toward a university system that includes support measures so that motherhood and fatherhood do not interrupt students' academic paths.
