Roundtable on the challenges and opportunities of the educational system in Nicaragua

SUMMA and OECS organized the third working group on education, this time with KIX LAC representatives from Nicaragua, Nacira Guerrero, Nora Cuadra and Herman Van de Velde, as well as officials from the Ministry of Education, discussed the diagnosis and results of the report “Challenges and opportunities of the education system in Nicaragua” conducted by researcher David Otero for KIX LAC.

Raul Chacón, director of KIX LAC, welcomed and thanked the participants, highlighting that “we need to articulate the efforts and make synergy between the different projects, understanding that we want to build from the strengths and experiences that each of our systems have to contribute to the overall improvement. We want to get to know them and promote them”. 

The main objective of the meeting was to develop a general review of the six thematic areas in which the report is organized – early childhood education, learning assessment systems, gender equality, strengthening data systems, equity and inclusion, and teaching and learning – to identify the main challenges and opportunities of the Nicaraguan education system, as well as the interrelated work of the actors and institutions.  Subsequently, participants made specific comments to be incorporated and expanded upon in the document.

Florencio Ceballos, IDRC project officer, remarked that he was pleased with the enthusiasm with which the research and learning knowledge is being developed, “I am grateful for the quality and assertiveness of the comments and the detailed review of the report. The idea is to be able to have such participation and it is a pleasure for us to know that Nicaragua is very involved in this project”.

In this regard, the study offers some suggestions for intervention to promote the closing of knowledge gaps, among others:

-Systematization of educational experiences through promotion and dissemination.

-Creation of a school map that facilitates the location of children and adolescents who do not attend school in their territorial, economic, social and cultural contexts, which contributes to effective decision-making. 

-Creation of programs aimed at the segment of the adolescent population, young pregnant women and mothers, also integrating their partners.

-Research that identifies the material and social deficiencies related to the family and cultural environment of groups of students belonging to indigenous and Afro-descendant populations in order to offer education programs with flexible school trajectories adapted to their interests and needs.

-Creation of a system of educational indicators to evaluate the quality of the national education system in terms of accessibility, affordability, adaptability and acceptability in correspondence with the indicators that follow up on SDG 4 and the 2030 Education Agenda.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Javier González, Director of SUMMA, thanked each of the attendees for their participation and assured that “we want to learn from what they are doing in Nicaragua and in turn, make ourselves available to the Ministry of Education and the institutions represented in this working group, to promote and support the challenges that have been identified and are yet to be developed”.

On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Melba López, General Director of Secondary Education; Henry Jaime, General Director of School Infrastructure; Ramón Ortega, Director of Statistics; Mariana Saborio from the Evaluation Directorate; Alejandro Genet from the National University Council; Mirna Ileana Cuesta from INATEC and Winnie Narvaez from ÁBACOenRed / FUPECG. On behalf of SUMMA – KIX LAC, researchers Ivana Zacarias and Maciel Morales; and the coordinator of Community Management, Mar Botero.