Education in El Salvador
[1] El Salvador consists of the following levels of education: Almost all students, public and private, take the PAES test during their second year of bachillerato.
[4] As a result of wealth inequality, education is not universally accessible amongst Salvadorans as rural areas face higher rates of poverty.
[5] There is also an evident disparity when looking at global rankings, El Salvador repeatedly scores low in education quality and accessibility.
[7] While according to the El Salvador Constitution (1983), starting at the age of 4 years old, every child is entitled to free education.
However, since most families live on less than 8.75 Colón, equivalent to 1 US dollar, often children under the age of 7 drop out of school to support their parents by working.
[9] As a result of the lack of education in El Salvador, citizens are limited in their access to opportunities, world perspective, and social and political participation.
[12] Additionally, students at this age begin to develop their writing skills[12] Lastly the third cycle is from 7th to 9th grades; which is a transition to secondary education (e.g. specialized teachers for each assignment).
[14] In December 2014, the government of El Salvador entered into partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, in hopes of improving institutions of higher learning within the country with updated curricula and faculty training.
[15] The General Education Law of 1996, put forth by MINED, established a national curriculum that applies to both public and private institutions.
[15] This approach was derived from Spain and simply ensured the completion of simple and complex tasks in a determined context.
[15] Overall, there has been little change to the curriculum since 1996, but topics such as sex education, child safety, gender and human rights have been integrated into school systems all throughout the country.
[16] Moreover, El Salvador requires that teachers attain at least a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a teaching license from MINED.
[17] This increase in spending may be an indication that the Salvadoran Government is continuing their trend of emphasizing the education system.
Due to the relatively low wages and fear for job security, teacher unions were founded in El Salvador during the 1960's and 70's.
[19] Crime in El Salvador is committed by a majority of young men in gangs, usually kids around the age of 12-24.
[19] Education funding won't come if the public assumes students will drop out and join gangs.
This gap in education for poorer citizens exacerbates inequalities and demonstrates the country's overall lack of social mobility.
This disparity also speaks to the nation's distribution of access to knowledge and skills, ultimately a symptom of El Salvador's poverty crisis.
Like in many Latin American countries, El Salvador's unequal distribution of income is reflected in the accessibility of knowledge and skills.
[5] The poor and rural populations of El Salvador have been deprived of many opportunities, dating back to the oligarchies and their exploitation of these communities for cheap labor.
[22] By decentralizing responsibilities within the government and increasing the private sector's contribution, there would be more flexibility and efficiency in the education system.
[22] There was a movement to mobilize and encourage non-governmental organizations, parents and other private agents to get involved in educational plans.
The EDUCO Program, a reform initiative, was created as a strategy to grow access to preschool and basic educational opportunities in poor isolated rural areas.
[20] There is a greater possibility that students stay in EDUCO schools because of the involvement of parents and community members.
[20] The ten year education plan expanded EDUCO schools into the second cycle which increased the number from 38.6% to 52.3%.
[22] Despite the program's success with school enrollment, the quality of the education still hinders on the investment of the parents and its impact towards bringing in resources.
[28] In March 2020, The World Bank approved the "Growing Up and Learning Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in El Salvador" project.
