What the Minister of Education, Daniel Rojas, said after learning that he failed his master's thesis

The National University of Colombia confirmed that the current Minister of Education, José Daniel Rojas Medellín, failed his master's thesis defense due to "theoretical weaknesses."

It happened on Tuesday, February 25, the date on which the thesis entitled 'Relevance and effects of a guaranteed work program in Colombia' was scheduled to be presented. The project was to be presented to professors such as Álvaro Martín or Iván Velásquez, from the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the National University.

Rojas Medellín spoke out after hearing the news and explained the reasons why he failed his master's thesis.

The Minister of Education confirmed the information about his thesis to W Radio and said that he failed because he did not have time to prepare the defense of his project.

"I didn't have time to prepare my defense. I kept my appointment out of respect for the jury, but I knew I wouldn't be able to defend it because I haven't had time to prepare it," he told the radio station.

The head of the Education portfolio also stated that he will have to prepare again to present his master's thesis, although he was emphatic in stating that he does not know if time will allow him to adjust and support the project again.

"I have to resubmit it, but who knows if I'll have the time to adjust and prepare it," he added.

Hours earlier, Rojas Medellín also published a short tweet on his X account, which was interpreted by many as a response to what happened with his thesis on Tuesday.

"In life there are sacrifices that hurt, but we must not wait for time to tell us whether they were worth it or not, but rather work so that pain becomes satisfaction," wrote the minister, although without giving further details of the subject he was referring to.

According to the statement issued by the National University, Daniel Rojas Medellín's thesis was graded as failed because "in its current state it presents weaknesses in terms of theory and conceptual rigor."

The institution also noted that the student's responses to questions asked during the presentation "were not considered satisfactory."

"This is a regular procedure within the National University of Colombia when an academic work does not meet the quality standards required by an institution of excellence," the National University said.

The institution indicated that the minister can rewrite the submitted document, correcting the identified flaws, or can even resort to changing the topic of the thesis, as long as the new topic complies with the standards established by the university.

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