The organization Initiative Bridges for the Students of Nicaragua (IPEN), based in Costa Rica, was awarded the “Student Peace Prize 2025”, which recognizes the hard work of organizations in favor of education and defense of human rights, academic freedom and access to education.
«Today we are very happy to share with you the news that IPEN has been awarded the prestigious “Student Peace Prize 2025” that is awarded every 2 years in Norway. We receive this news with great awareness and gratitude to each person who has supported our work and has believed in our mission,” the organization says in a note sent to journalists.
IPEN dedicated the award to the struggle of Nicaraguan students to achieve democracy, and highlights the importance of recognizing the student community that was a victim of repression and persecution by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
«From now on we maintain that we receive this award and dedicate it to the entire student community of Nicaragua that has been a victim of repression by the Sandinista dictatorship; brothers who lost their lives in the protests, political prisoners, expelled from universities, students, academics, exiles and persecuted,” says IPEN.
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This is the first time that a Nicaraguan and Central American organization has won the award and it is the second time that Latin America has received the recognition.
IPEN has been working since 2022 on the management of scholarships, financial aid and training for young Nicaraguans, promoting the right to education, academic freedom, personal and professional development amid the restrictions and difficulties for students in Nicaragua.
The Student Peace Prize 2025 is awarded every two years to student bodies and was established in 1999 as a volunteer initiative of the International Student Festival in Trondheim, Norway.
Who are IPEN?
IPEN is an organization founded by young Nicaraguans in exile, with the purpose of supporting students persecuted by Daniel Ortega’s regime. Since its creation, it has worked to guarantee access to higher education for those who were expelled from public universities for their political activism. Additionally, it is dedicated to promoting human rights and academic freedom, especially in a context of increasing repression in Nicaragua.
The education crisis in Nicaragua
The recognition of IPEN is part of a serious educational crisis in Nicaragua, the result of the partisanship of the educational system and the systematic repression against university youth. Since 2018, the country’s main public universities, such as the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN), the National University of Engineering (UNI) and the National Agrarian University (UNA), have carried out mass expulsions of students critical of the government. In many cases, these actions have been accompanied by threats, harassment and police persecution.
In addition, the Ortega regime has confiscated at least 29 universities and higher education centers, alleging administrative irregularities. These confiscations have left thousands of students without access to quality education, while the confiscated institutions have been placed under the direct control of the State.
The situation has also been aggravated by the elimination of independent academic programs, dismissals of critical teachers and the incorporation of ideologized programs in educational curricula. These measures have generated a significant setback in the access and quality of higher education in the country.
The award ceremony will take place within the framework of the International Student Festival in Trondheim, where it is hoped that IPEN can share its experience and make visible the stories of thousands of young people who continue fighting for a decent future, despite the repression.
