Community Enterprise Solutions: Rural Education Initiatives

Rural Education
Initiatives
(Please use the links below)

CE Solutions is constantly working to be sure that both donor dollars and community impact through our educational initiatives are maximized. Using our creative Centro Explorativo Model we have been able to successfully implement the initiatives detailed below in both Nebaj and La Pista, communities located in the Northern Highlands of Guatemala.

AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM

The Problem:
Lack of access to educational programs

One of the strongest determinants of the state of education in Guatemala can be found in the percentage of the annual budget allocated to education. UNESCO recommends that 7% of a country’s overall budget be reserved for education. Guatemala, however, falls way below this norm, devoting less than 2% of its yearly budget to educational expenditures. In comparison to other Central American countries, Guatemala devotes the least amount of its annual budget to education.

The Effects and Consequences:
This deficiency in economic resources reserved for education leads to a myriad of obstacles facing the Guatemalan educational system:

Schools are overcrowded, at times, with more than 45 students per teacher
There are little to no resources for teachers
Teacher training is limited, and teachers are often called out of the classroom to perform other duties.

To compound the issue, approximately 900,000 elementary-aged students in Guatemala speak one of the 20 Mayan languages present in the country. Of the 7,832 schools in departments with bilingual populations only 1,869 are bilingual schools. This means that only 24% of these students receive an education designed to meet their linguistic and academic needs.

When combined, all of these factors result in a teacher-centered education that relies heavily on rote memorization of facts. Students are rarely asked to use their imagination and critical thinking skills. Moreover, the majority of students who do graduate from the sixth grade are only equipped with basic skills in reading, writing, and math and often struggle to continue their studies in Middle and High School.

Our Solution:
Access to creative and well structured afterschool programs and activities

The Benfits of Our Solution:

Creates a locally administered, responsive and innovative educational institution.
Provides an affordable, accessible and comprehensive
library/research center for aspiring students in the Ixil area, making otherwise prohibitively expensive educational materials available for their use and thereby enhancing the quality of local education.
Inspires a love of reading in the youth of Nebaj and, over time, instill a local culture of reading for leisure and interest as opposed to only reading for school or work.
Imparts basic research and literacy skills through a locally operated library which also creates long-term local employment.

COMPUTER & INTERNET LITERACY

The Problem:
Lack of access to computer information technology in the Ixil region.

In many developing communities computer information technology and resources are scarce, in fact, they are virtually non-existent. Only a very small, elite sector of society can afford to purchase computers. Meanwhile, public institutions that attempt to provide such access to the underprivileged individuals in the U.S., schools, public libraries, etc. do not exist. The only way an Ixil region inhabitant can access the internet is through one of only three internet/computer centers in the central town of Nebaj . While signal quality is relatively good in these cafes, the price they charge for Internet access (6-10 Quetzales an hour or about the average local daily wage) is extremely prohibitive for the average local resident. What's more, only one of these centers provide computer or internet training.

The Effects and Consequences:
The only way to learn how to use a computer is to inscribe in excessively expensive computer courses in an exclusive private school. Given the ever-increasing importance of electronic information technology in the globalized economy, the current state of information technology in the Ixil region is thus incompatible with the local economy's growth needs.

Our Solution:
Access to information technology resources and training programs at a local level

The Benefits of Our Solution:

Provide quality computer and internet technology access at a price accessible to the average local citizen
Provide basic computer and internet training at a price accessible to the average local citizen
Further the educational ends of the library by helping clients to develop computer skills and internet research skills with the ultimate goal of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty by helping the local economy generate its own human capital
Achieve all this using local resources and local employees

ADULT EDUCATION

The Problem:
Lack of access to adult education and literacy programs

The Effects and Consequences:

Many adults and potential business and community leaders are unable to read and write further complicating already difficult proccesses such as reaching formal agreements, loans, morgages etc
Uneducatied adults tend to put less importance on children's education and take a "I made it" attitude
Communities with an uneducated adult population are more likley to be stagnant in terms of economic progress and growth

Our Solution:
Access to adult education and literacy programs at a local level

The Benefits of Our Solution:

Promotes basics literacy amongst adults through positive and consistent group trainings in local settings and environments
Promots basic computer skills amongst adults by providing an appropriate curriculum and trained local professor from course introduction through completion
Promotes learning and education in general. Educated parents often times place additional value on the education of their children creating a positive cycle where educational opportunities are appreciated and taken advantage of.

LIBRARY & RESOURCE CENTER

The Problem:
Lack of access to educational resources

In the Ixil region of western Guatemala, reading is a far from universal skill. It is a rare and unusual ability possessed by a small sector of society. According to recent studies conducted by the United Nations, 21% of Guatemalan males 15 years and older are illiterate and 35% of females 15 years and older are illiterate. Much of the remaining “literate” population can only read in the most basic sense of the word, meaning they are able to stumble slowly through newspapers and legal documents. These figures are not surprising given the poor state of education.

The Effects and Consequences:
In urban areas of Guatemala:

Only 5 out of 10 students who enter the first grade will graduate from sixth grade. This number is even more alarming in rural areas where only 2 out of every 10 students graduates from the sixth grade.
In certain regions of Guatemala only 20% of the population will achieve what in the U.S. would be considered an elementary level of education. Though recent statistics indicate that the situation is improving along generational lines, the Ixil triangle remains one of the most undereducated and most underdeveloped regions of Central America.

Our Solution:
Access to a safe, creative and structured learning environment with necessary resources and guidance.

The Benefits of Our Solution:

Promote critical thinking by creating a safe, fun environment where students can learn through exploration.
Increase literacy skills and instill a love of reading through daily read alouds.
Improve the academic achievement of students through daily enrichment activities in the areas of Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, English, and Art.
Promote health and hygiene through basic practices such as hand washing and teeth brushing