Education, Science and Technology > Education, Training, Science & Technology > Education > Primary and Secondary Education
Primary Education in Latin America: The Unfinished Agenda
By Paulina Schiefelbein, Ernesto Schiefelbein, Laurence Wolff (05/02, EDU-120, En, Es)
This paper asks a deceptively simple question. After over a decade of concern about and investment in primary education, what have been the results and how much further does the region need to go before it has achieved a primary education of quality for all children? The paper is timely because of renewed international interest in the subject. It creatively reviews available data for four countries (Brazil, Chile, Honduras, and Costa Rica) as well as for the region as a whole. It reports that the region has made progress in increasing completion rates and in decreasing repetition. In some countries, targeted investments have made a difference in increasing retention and learning among at-risk children. Nonetheless, too many children do not complete primary education, too many repeat one or more grades, and academic achievement continues to be inadequate, compared to the region?s direct competitors. In spite of legitimate demands for investments at higher educational levels, leaders and opinion makers need to continue to focus on this all-important foundation for future learning. The critical policies and investments identified over ten years ago have only been partially implemented. Their full implementation is still needed. They include building up teacher knowledge, pedagogy, and commitment; increasing enrollment in pre-schooling, especially of at-risk children; providing adequate and appropriate teaching materials; targeting resources to disadvantaged children; articulating clear national learning goals; and improving the technical quality and utilization of testing programs.
Last updated: 01/16/07
