Contributions of Martín J. Sanabria to the Consolidation of the Doctrine of the Teaching State in Venezuela

Abstract

The article analyzes the contributions of Martín J. Sanabria to the consolidation of the doctrine of the Teaching State (Estado Docente) in Venezuela, based on the 1870 Decree of Free and Compulsory Public Education, enacted under the government of Antonio Guzmán Blanco. It examines the influence of thinkers such as Simón Rodríguez, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, and Cecilio Acosta on Sanabria’s pedagogical ideas, as well as his decisive role in drafting the Decree. The text highlights how this legal instrument laid the foundations for free, universal, and compulsory education in the country, establishing the State as guarantor of public instruction. It concludes that this historical milestone marked the formal beginning of the Teaching State in Venezuela, with far-reaching effects on educational policies throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.