Education in Honduras Amanda Fox

History Education became national and public in the 1950’s. Private schools for the wealthy, the remainder were uneducated Now compulsory (by law) and free for children 7-14 years of age

Typical Schools Primary School Grades 1-6 Secondary School Grades 7-9 Specialized Program Grades 9-12 Higher Education Vocational/Technical school or University

Typical Schools Bilingual in Spanish and English February to November school year Poor buildings/roofs etc Crowded: Up to 80 in a classroom Lack up-to-date: Books, materials, and teaching methods

Typical Teachers Poorly trained Underpaid ($310/month) with little chance of increase Lack resources Lack strong unions School systems lack funds as well

Typical Students Come from poor and illiterate families Malnourished (or near malnourished) Wake up at 5:00 to do chores and travel Lack resources School supplies, clothing, transportation Drop out

Typical Honduran Family Extremely impoverished Rely on child labor Lack transportation Uneducated

Surprising Statistics Illiteracy – 40%-80% (rural – urban) HIV/AIDS can affect up to 14% of pop. Lower middle income average: $1, ,000 children don’t receive formal education each year 97,0000 students drop out to work for family each year

Surprising Statistics Most children aren’t schooled past grade 9 (only 35%) 60% complete 6 th grade Between 1% - 8% go on to college Vocational, technical, or UNAH (30,000) 4.5% of GDP spent on education (5.2% of US GDP spent on education)

Improvements To improve poverty, illness, etc: IMPROVE EDUCATION! Canada: $20 million United States: $80 million New textbooks, teacher training, vocational programs, etc

Sources Canada Invests in Education in Honduras. Canada International Development Agency. Cordeau, Nicole. The Silent Killer.Honduras this Week: Online.. EDstats Summary Education Profile: Honduras. World Bank, Edstats.. Education. CountryStudies.us..

Sources Huyser, Abram. Honduras: Futile Strike?. Platinamerica Press, Article Archives.. Learning in Honduras.. The Improvement of Basic Education in Honduras through Teacher's Training at University level. German American Exchange Service.. USAID: Honduras. United States Agency for International Development..