Jairo Rafael Castro Acosta

Jairo Rafael Castro Acosta is a transformative Colombian educator whose work demonstrates how territory-rooted education can heal communities affected by poverty, climate crisis and historic violence. Raised in a family displaced by conflict, he chose teaching as a path to break cycles of inequality. Today, in La Mojana—one of Colombia’s most vulnerable regions—he has built a pioneering model that positions schools as engines of peace, sustainability and local development.

His journey began at Cuiva Educational Centre, where he created Hicoteas Mitigantes, a student-led environmental project that addressed river erosion and pollution through phytoremediation. This early success planted the seed for what would become his hallmark innovation: Agroanfibia, a pedagogy developed at San Marcos Educational Institution that blends arts, science, journalism and ancestral knowledge to solve real territorial challenges. With more than 500 families benefiting, Agroanfibia has reduced dropout rates, inspired girls to pursue STEM careers, and accompanied a young student to publish her first scientific article in the Colombian Network of Women Scientists.

Agroanfibia integrates participatory action research, socio-formation and Freirean transformation into a five-phase methodology guiding students from ecosystem exploration to prototype development, creative dissemination and iterative improvement. Its impact extends beyond the classroom: it has improved food security through community gardens, supported chronic kidney patients, strengthened rice-farming practices, and nurtured youth like Estevin Baldovino into community environmental leaders.

One of Castro’s most emblematic innovations is the Floating Classroom, a canoe-based learning experience that brings together students, families and scientists to study local biodiversity. With support from the Ministry of Culture, this initiative is evolving into a community tourism route that generates a bioeconomy rooted in environmental stewardship.

His measurable outcomes are significant. More than 200 students have strengthened computational thinking through the British Council and MinTIC’s Colombia Programa, while over 500 students have participated in MinCiencias’ Ondas research programme. His school surpassed national averages in Critical Reading and department averages in Mathematics on SABER 11 exams, and one student achieved an outstanding 370/500 score. Students have also earned international opportunities, including academic immersions at Harvard, MIT, Japan, and Peru, and participation in Pre-COP16 and COP16.

Beyond his classroom, Castro has restored land rights for 25 families through community advocacy, trained 12 teachers and 400 regional educators in STEM and digital coexistence, supported 35 teachers in documenting their research practices, and helped expand Agroanfibia to neighbouring schools. His writing—supported by the Gabo Foundation—amplifies community stories of resilience.

If awarded the Global Teacher Prize, he plans to establish a mobile environmental laboratory, a circular economy workshop, and ultimately the first Amphibious Innovation Centre in La Mojana. He also aims to pursue a doctorate in environmental education to strengthen the academic foundations of his model.

Jairo Castro’s defining achievement is proving that from one of Colombia’s most forgotten territories, education can cultivate leaders who protect the land, transform communities, and inspire the world.