Camila Mendez Vega

Colombian educator who founded Latin America's first secular girls' school system in 1842

Camila Méndez Vega (1818–1895) revolutionized education in Colombia by creating the first state-supported girls' schools independent of religious institutions. A former nun turned reformer, she argued that girls' education was essential for national development in her landmark essay 'The Republic's Mothers' (1840). Her Escuelas Nacionales para Niñas system established 17 schools across Antioquia by 1860, teaching math, science, and civic education - topics previously reserved for boys. Méndez Vega's 1853 law reform mandated primary education for girls up to age 12, making Colombia a regional leader. She also trained 300 female teachers through her teacher training college, breaking gender barriers in education professions. Her correspondence with Simón Bolívar's widow helped secure government funding, and her 1872 memoir 'The Classroom and the Nation' influenced education policies across South America. Despite facing backlash from conservative elites, her schools educated future leaders like Nobel Prize nominee Clara López.