EDUCATIONAL REALITY IN GUATEMALA

EDUCATIONAL PHENOMENA:

An educational phenomenon is those events that occur daily with students or when someone
teaches, for example a student writing, a teacher explaining, a student raising her hand or even, in
a broader sense, a meeting of teachers with educational researchers, These phenomena are so
extensive that on this occasion we will study some of them.

Educational phenomena in Guatemala occur in all areas, both in the public and private sectors,
they reflect many issues to be discussed, greater emphasis is given to the issue of school violence
or aggression between students and bullying is currently a topic of interest. ; however, it has not
always been. It is the process carried out in a sociocultural environment to train humans to
function in society for the benefit of all. The most recurrent educational phenomena in our
country occur in schools and classrooms, that is, it ranges from a teacher to a student or even a
parent. Some of them are bullying, this phenomenon as such in its context refers to aggression as
a whole, exploring its expressions and characteristics with just the expressions of “joking”,
“annoying” or “attacking”. This situation occurs even in the most prestigious schools, resulting in
physical, verbal and even sexual aggression. Also mentioned is school dropout, which is a deep-
rooted evil that for decades has not been able to create a policy, much less programs that help
reduce this scourge.

DESERTION:

School dropout is one of the problems that affects children and youth around the world and in
Guatemala, especially the rural areas of the country, are not exempt from it. For this reason,
documentation was made, in which; Glenda Sánchez (2016) says that Student Dropout increases
by 38.3%, especially in the basic general culture cycle, where 58,851 students dropped out in 2016
and 31,699 in 2014. In diversified, from five thousand 772 desertions, the figure rose to 34
thousand 13 in 2016. Among the departments that registered, according to Sánchez, the highest
desertion is Guatemala, especially the capital, Quetzaltenango, Chimaltenango, Escuintla and
Quiché. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education -MINEDUC- mentions that in 2016 there were
3,090 dropouts at the secondary level, only in the Departmental Directorate of Education of the
Southern Area, of the department of Guatemala. School dropouts represent one of the main
challenges in education; According to the recognition of the President of the United Nations (UN),
in Central America more than 40 percent of young people who enter the basic cycle do not
complete their studies, and Guatemala does not escape this situation. With one in four students
not completing secondary school, school dropouts affect young people from all sectors of society.

ABSENTEEISM:
The student who drops out could be classified as a person who has been forced by various
circumstances to withdraw from the educational environment, whether or not causing possible
frustration. A family pattern of attrition can be created. A considerable dose of decision to leave
school due to the attraction of other alternatives, linked to the world of work but also to
consumption.
The inability of the school system itself to welcome and respond to young people and their
educational needs. Education programs are obsolete, some do not meet the expectations of
students, society, or even at the university level.
Inadequacy of secondary education in relation to educational forms, pedagogical practices, the
way of coexistence, school regulations and discipline, attention to diversity and others, which do
not assume the vital reality and cultural specificity of youth populations.
Teachers who do not stimulate cultural integration but rather generate a separation that excludes
immigrant populations, which causes abandonment of the classrooms.
Lack of adequate pedagogy, of participatory techniques that make education more attractive for
the young populations of today's society, lack of mastery in the classroom on the part of the
educator that promotes discontent, indiscipline and abandonment of the educational system.

TUITION:

As a general rule, educational centers have a procedure for receiving students. Registration in a
training center is subject to a series of administrative procedures. These procedures are known as
registration. The purpose of enrollment is to register on the lists of the Ministry of Education and
with this procedure it is possible to keep control over the school population (the statistical data
that is handled is logically obtained from the enrollments). Each type of educational center has its
own criteria when enrolling a student, since a public school is not the same as a private or charter
school. The number of students enrolled this year in the public education system increased 2.17
percent at the pre-primary and primary levels, compared to 2017, according to data from the
Educational Registration System (Sire), of the Ministry of Education. Normally the registration
procedures at private centers are less demanding, since the main criterion for student acceptance
is economic. That corresponding to that of a student in public education depends on a series of
factors: place of residence, parents' work area, social situation, etc.
The figures show that in 2017 the students enrolled in pre-primary were 500,106 and this year
they increased to 518,036. In primary school the figure rose from 2.03 million to 2.07 million
students.
At the basic level, the number of 341,045 students was maintained and at the diversified level
there was also an increase of 1,501 more students than the previous year, from 90,699 students to
92,200.
This year, the Education portfolio enrolled 3.02 million students in the different academic levels of
the State's learning centers.

EDUCATIONAL COVERAGE:
Educational coverage is the proportion of students served at an educational level with respect to
demand, this proportion is essential since it gives an indicator of the attention that the Ministry of
Education of the country is providing to more populations, this implies a greater impact on the
rural areas (those least served due to their geographic and socioeconomic conditions).
Guatemala, where schooling rates are low, coverage is essential so that after it, we can talk about
educational quality, being “the capacity of the educational system to achieve the competencies to
which it has committed.
They also considered that the professionalization of teachers and constant training should
continue so that they constantly update their knowledge.
Given the importance of expanding coverage, we have defined a strategy within the Ministry: start
the school census to collect information and have more accurate data on the school population,
distribute teachers in a better way, identify municipalities with the lowest rates. of coverage and
relate conditional aid to increase enrollment in those places, strengthen support programs,
implement the school support system, develop awareness campaigns, among other actions.
In this area, a lot of effort is needed, since we are not only dealing with the issue of the impact
that education can have on families, but we are facing a situation in which poverty plays a leading
role and, at the same time, , we are faced with the limited financial availability that the Mineduc
has to invest in education.

RETENTION:

Guatemala exhibits as a milestone the achievement of 180 days of classes on average in the public
sector, although the quality of education and school retention remain pending goals.
To reach this minimum standard of class days, which has not been met in at least the last three
years, the course was extended until October 27, which allowed us to gain a little more than a
week of teaching, after being affected by earthquakes and rains in several regions. This year, the
government and Ministry of Education (Mineduc) plan had as its fundamental axis the expansion
of coverage. Priority attention and distribution of resources was focused on the primary level,
where coverage is around 80 percent; However, in pre-primary it only covers 46, in basic 47 and in
diversified it decreases to a critical 24 percent.
Data from the Ministry of Education of the Central American country indicate that of children
between 0 and 4 years old, only four out of every 100 are being cared for. That means that 96 are
left without the possibility of basic socialization. In Guatemala, there are just over one million 600
thousand young people between the ages of 13 and 24 who are not enrolled in the secondary
level, a figure that seems to increase, since institutional calculations suggest that by the year 2030
they could have a little more three million in those ages outside the system, which brings with it
security, violence and drug problems. Guatemala is the country that invests the least in education
in Central America, with just 2.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product.
The educational inequality gap in Guatemala grows every year at the same rate as school
dropouts, motivated by the need for many children to work from an early age to guarantee daily
sustenance at home.

EDUCATIONAL QUALITY:
Education is an essential action for the future and the construction of the future, providing the
opportunity for a productive, dignified and more human life, full of faith and hope.
It constitutes the best investment in terms of social promotion. A society where education is
recognized as one of the fundamental means for the transmission of cultural and democratic
values, the training of citizens, the development of a culture of peace, the search for economic
growth and the common good, must bet on a quality education.
Assuming educational quality as: “being able to have training opportunities so that people can
develop their potential throughout each stage of their life and integrate into society as full and
happy citizens” (UNESCO 2005) Quality education It helps improve social indicators, reduce
malnutrition rates and improve national health indicators. It contributes to the reduction of
poverty, improves social inclusion and the conditions for better governance and democratic
participation, allows people to qualify for better salaries and responds to the right of everyone to
have an education.
Educational quality becomes effective in the classroom and the only one who can provide it is the
teacher. Quality requires teachers with solid comprehensive training, well directed and adequately
remunerated. Countries that have managed to achieve high learning outcomes are those that have
consistently invested in improving the teaching profession. Their performance in the profession
will depend on how future teachers are trained and their best measure will be the learning of their
students.

BUDGET ALLOCATED TO EDUCATION:

2018 a budget of Q16 thousand 891.6 million; This represents an increase of Q2,954.4 million, yet
that amount requested as the budget for 2018 represents only 2.9 percent of GDP. Making a
comparison with Latin American countries, Guatemala is the country that invests the least in
education in relation to GDP. We can compare our investment situation in education with the
reality in Central America; El Salvador invests 3.4 percent, Honduras 5.9, Costa Rica 7.6 and
Guatemala 2.9. With this reality, little is achieved in changing the situation of the country.
However, the fact that Mineduc has executed 73.5% of this year's budget until October 18, which
was Q14, 243.2 million, is positive. “This is one of the ministries that we could not reduce,
especially since the 2018 budget execution is aimed at 96%. For the year 2019, the portfolio would
allocate Q1,627.41 million for the salary benefit included in the collective agreement negotiated
this year and recognized by President Jimmy Morales and the Guatemalan Education Workers
Union (STEG), represented by Joviel Acevedo. The increase is 5% and the retroactive payment
corresponding to 2018 and 2019 must be considered. The pact with workers still contemplates
salary increases of 5% for 2020.
 RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Promote facilities, both economically and socially, to the poorest families in order to meet
school costs.

2. Respond to the needs of the little ones and ensure their access to free universal education.

3. Reading, writing and being able to reason in mathematics are essential skills for a person
to function in society.
 INTRODUCTION

The state will guarantee the quality of compulsory education so that the educational materials and
methods, the organization, the educational infrastructure and the suitability of the teachers
guarantee the maximum academic achievement of the students.

One of the determining factors in the social development of a country is education; it must
contribute to the achievement of socially valid objectives, for which it is supported by planning.
 AIM

It is to improve educational quality in undeveloped sectors and ensure that the student has a good
learning infrastructure.

It is to strengthen education in rural areas where students do not have any opportunity to
continue their studies.
 CONCLUSION

We can determine that educational quality is of utmost importance to be able to form better
human beings that is required today. Mainly it is his way of thinking through research.
This entire system or method of educational quality will be achieved based on objectives, actions,
ideas, etc.