By Maria Zarcos Gonzalez
Peru’s rich culture is reflected by its incredibly diverse historical and linguistic heritage. 59 languages belonging to 11 or 12 distinct linguistic groups, with Quechua and Aymara being the most commonly spoken among indigenous groups (D’Andrea, 2007). The country saw a historical shift from monolingualism in indigenous languages to bilingualism or monolingualism in Spanish (Castellano) since the 1940s (ibid). Almost half (47%) of Peru’s population is Indigenous, with significant ethnic diversity including 45% Indigenous, 37% mixed race (Indigenous and white, or offensively historically known as mestizo), and 15% White, Black, Japanese, and Chinese among others (Ibid).
Access to properly funded education systems for Indigenous children is essential as a fundamental right, a tool for empowerment, cultural preservation, and equality. For indigenous groups to be such a big population group, they still suffer great inequalities between them and non-indigenous populations. These are deeply rooted in historical, social, and economic contexts. As OXFAM (n.d, paragraph 3) explains, “the extreme poverty rate of populations with a primary language other than Spanish is three times greater than the national average and in the same rural areas extreme poverty is almost twice as high for those who do not speak Spanish as a first language.”
The current state of education for Indigenous children in Peru
A key to analysing the issues amongst a specific group inside the education system is to look at dropout rates, statistics on enrollment, or illiteracy rates. Regarding enrollment, Quechua students generally show lower achievement levels due to various barriers, including limited access to quality education (D’Andrea). Only 10% of Indigenous youth pursue academia beyond secondary education (Bullock et al, 2021) indicating a significant challenge in educational attainment, motivation, and possibly issues of accessibility to economic resources, dependency, or transport facilities. This is highlighted by the fact that 40% of Peru’s youth population is considered highly vulnerable, addressing pressing matters of social exclusion and low socioeconomic status as a main barrier (Ibid).
Geographical and economic barriers to education remain one of the most important impediments to address. Remoteness, lack of infrastructure, and insufficient transport services routes lead to great difficulties in reaching schools. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the severity of these issues along with the digital divide (Zavala and Franco, 2022). While projects have been launched by the government to close this breach (Intercultural bilingual education, or IBE), underlying socioeconomic inequalities remain largely unaddressed. For example, the level of quality in education is highly different than that in urban areas. There is a notable lack of teachers who serve indigenous populations, and a missing professional development plan to train them to do so (Ibid).
While IBE is a resolutive initiative, there remains a high cultural disconnect between formal education and Indigenous traditions. Historical challenges such as systemic marginalisation have developed to create a longstanding environment of cultural biases in educational policies and the composition of a Eurocentric curriculum that overlooks indigenous language and knowledge systems (Morales-Lopez et al., 2024).
Key challenges in addressing educational equity include poverty and economic insecurity in indigenous communities, and raising awareness to promote government reforms which at the moment are limited to producing resolutive instead of revolutionary projects. As with many other social issues around the world, gender disparity remains a point of focus to tackle. Women face significant obstacles in education and employment, with only 53% of girls graduating high school in comparison to 66% of the boys – also a worrying figure in itself- (). Additionally, their illiteracy rate in 2019 was at 8%, contrasting with government data which establishes it is at 3% for adults (Monroy et al, 2022). Among rural women, the rate is 23% (Ibid). Girls and women still bear the brunt of domestic responsibilities, impacting their time and future opportunities.
Positive Developments and Ongoing Initiatives
Andersson and Risberg’s (2022:14) investigation explains how “educational and career choices result from socialization processes learned from childhood. Women who have been taught to take on the caring role in the home tend to work in occupations with similar tasks. The learned masculine and feminine behaviours are reflected also when the choice of profession arises”. It is therefore imminent that developments in education look at changing behaviours and boosting other lifestyle motivations to achieve higher levels of employment and reduce poverty. Community organisations like Dispurse work on teaching women literacy and skills to combat and improve employment opportunities (Ibid). STEM education initiatives for women looking to diversify their labour market and opportunities since there is already a high level of women working in humanities jobs, which pay significantly less (Andersson and Risberg, 2022).
The Aprendo en casa (Learn at home) initiative started by Peru’s Ministry of Education aims to address issues of accessibility and equity using multiple broadcasting channels to maximise reach and include indigenous language as a main pillar. The project was founded during the pandemic but has continued beyond the immediate COVID-19 response. For those children who have limited access to radio frequencies or cable, teachers provide materials which are handed in person to them, and some even record broadcast lessons onto USB drives (Zavala and Franco, 2022). This flexibility in adaptation enhances accessibility to education greatly, bridging the digital divide.
The element of language inclusion is part of an intercultural bilingual education (IBE) program, where Spanish is taught as a second language (Zavala and Franco, 2022). This promotes inclusivity and ensures a long-lasting future for indigenous languages and cultures. Nevertheless, the assumption that this facilitation to speak Spanish is not needed by students in rural areas turns out to be a lack of IBE education for them. They are not afforded the same educational resources and diversity.
Community-led education initiatives emphasizing indigenous knowledge and traditions are a key tool to boost motivation to go to school and learn. Morales-Lopez et al (2024) highlight the success of localised education programs that integrate Indigenous languages and traditional knowledge into the curriculum. These initiatives involve the active participation of a range of community members, giving high importance to the elders and what they can teach the younger generations about their heritage and history.
Recommendations for Action
There is plenty of room to improve the current landscape of education for Indigenous communities in Peru, and this is a call to action for governments, NGOs, and global stakeholders to support inclusive and equitable education for Indigenous children in Peru. Much work is needed on investing in infrastructure and teacher training tailored to indigenous needs. Holistic approaches to collaborating with indigenous communities to co-design culturally relevant curricula are key. Involving Indigenous leaders and educators in decision-making processes ensures that educational initiatives align with the community’s values and needs. The integration of traditional knowledge aids in language preservation and ensures an inclusive educational environment.
In order to preserve the Indigenous language and culture in Peru, it is essential to tackle the education sector and broaden its accessibility. Implementing monitoring and evaluation systems as well as enhancing legal framework and access to justice is a key to creating long-standing progress.
Education must be reaffirmed as a fundamental right for all children. School attendance is positively related to higher social inclusion and enhanced social-emotional competencies (Arapa et al, 2021). It is therefore important to promote an inclusive academic culture, with efforts to balance work and life responsibilities for women in academia. This involves creating a supportive environment that fosters freedom and a work-life balance which will attract and retain women in academic careers in the future (OECD, 2022). Community-led education initiatives emphasizing indigenous knowledge and traditions are a great holistic way of moving forward, paired with withstanding and revolutionary government action.
References
Ames, P. (2012). Language, culture, and identity in the transition to primary school: Challenges to indigenous children’s rights to education in Peru. International Journal of Educational Development, 32. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738059311001635
Andersson, M., & Risberg, M. (2022). Challenges for women’s labor market participation and educational opportunities in Peru [Bachelor’s thesis, University of Gothenburg]. https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/73902/Matilda%20Andersson%20Minna%20Risberg%20Challenges%20for%20women%27s%20labor.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
Arapa, B., et al. (2021). The relationship between access to pre-school education and the development of social-emotional competencies: Longitudinal evidence from Peru. International Journal of Educational Development, 87, 1–9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059321001358?casa_token=dARoOMxxye4AAAAA:Dwkhsf-cQqU4VI7jxwzEvVXDe24Lb3lFRmR-16pHOsWMHORXKluJTlKyTIT3bpW0Wyk4kd2l
Bullock, A. R. L., Stumpf, B. C., & Chang, K. B. T. (2021). Virtues, resilience, and well-being of Indigenous youth in Peru. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 8(1), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.7202/1077720ar
D’Andrea, M. (2007). Peru: Inequality of education for indigenous groups, the neglected class. The Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL).
Monroy, C., et al. (2022). Education in Peru. https://wenr.wes.org/2022/03/education-in-peru-2
Morales-Lopez, G., Rodriguez, C. A., & Ramos, M. D. (2024). Challenges and developments in multilingual education in indigenous Amazonian communities of Peru. Research and Advances in Education, 3(1), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.56397/RAE.2024.01.04
OECD. (2022). Gender equality in Peru: Towards a better sharing of paid and unpaid work. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/e53901b5-en
Zavala, V., & Franco, V. (n.d.). Siempre a distanciados: Ideology, equity, and power. Retrieved from https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/81042956/CALICO_39_1_004_art_Back_79_102-libre.pdf
No comment yet, add your voice below!