Guatemala

Guatemala's education plan for 2020-2024 aims to ensure that children, adolescents and youth - especially those from indigenous background and living in rural areas -have access to quality education and appropriate distance learning environments post COVID-19. The strategy aims to overcome three main challenges:

• Children with low cognitive development: There is plenty of evidence that an adequate cognitive development in children during the early years is key to ensure they are ready for school. In Guatemala, the low cognitive development is attributed to malnutrition, violence and low academic performance in communication and language. The strategy aims to ensure children have access to trained early learning teachers and certified community educators along with interventions focused on improving the low academic performance.
• Education services are not adapted to the new global and national environments particularly because of the expansion in technology as well as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the education sector. The strategy will focus on updating the national curriculum, improving teachers' competencies in technology, and improving the resilience of schools to COVID-19 and other crises.
• Vulnerability among children and adolescents: Migration flows - both national and international - are a key challenge that interrupts both education continuity and the ability of students to complete school. Additionally, there is a big digital gap among these students, which limit their opportunities to learn in hybrid or virtual environments. The strategy focuses on providing these students with alternative education pathways to ensure they finish school.