Download Honduras

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
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•
•
•
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
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•
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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
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•
•
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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: $1,400
175,000 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 6th 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 <http://www.acdicida.gc.ca/cida_ind.nsf/0/04e5ab501ab3c57485256d0600
565fc5>.
• Cordeau, Nicole. The Silent Killer.Honduras this Week: Online.
<http://www.marrder.com/htw/national.htm>.
• EDstats Summary Education Profile: Honduras. World Bank,
Edstats.
<http://devdata.worldbank.org/edstats/SummaryEducationP
rofiles/Countr
yData/GetShowData.asp?sCtry=HND,Honduras >.
• Education. CountryStudies.us.
<http://countrystudies.us/honduras/58.htm>.
Sources
• Huyser, Abram. Honduras: Futile Strike?. Platinamerica Press,
Article Archives.
<http://www.lapress.org/Summ.asp?lanCode=1&couCode=14>.
• Learning in Honduras.
<http://www.settlement.org/cp/english/honduras/learning.html>.
• The Improvement of Basic Education in Honduras through
Teacher's Training at University level. German American
Exchange Service.
<http://www.daad.de/de/download/entwicklung/veranstaltun
gen/2004_dies/wk3_honduras.pdf>.
• USAID: Honduras. United States Agency for International
Development. <http://www.usaid.gov/hn/education.htm>.