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.

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.

The After School Program was developed with the following goals in mind:

• To promote critical thinking by creating a safe, fun environment where students can learn through exploration.
• To foster learning by providing access to a variety of age-appropriate fiction and nonfiction books, the Internet, and other technologies.
• To increase literacy skills and instill a love of reading through daily read aloud.
• To improve the academic achievement of students through daily enrichment activities in the areas of  Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, English, and Art.
• To promote health and hygiene through basic practices such as hand washing and teeth brushing.

• Our after school program currently serves thirty-six elementary-aged students. Of those thirty-six, 81% are indigenous and 71% are bilingual speaking the local Mayan language, Ixil, and Spanish.
• In a recent survey with the parents of the After School Program participants, 100% stated that it is important to read aloud with their children at home.
• Students ages 3-6 participate in daily circle time, lessons in reading, art, math or science, center time, and a daily read aloud.
• Students ages 7-12 participate in a daily read aloud or sustained silent reading, daily lessons planned around a monthly theme, writing and art classes once a week, and English classes (given by a native English speaker) three times a week.
  

Moving Forward

In an effort to extend the success of our after school program beyond our local participants our future goals include:

• Expanding the After School Program to the new Centro Explorativo in La Pista.
• Continue radio broadcasts that impart valuable educational information to the town of Nebaj and other surrounding communities.
• Organize teacher trainings at the Centro to inform local teachers of the methods utilized in our after school classes.