Education In Bolivia: Required Schooling For Children And Teens

Bolivia's education system is divided between rural and urban areas, with rural illiteracy levels remaining high despite increasing literacy rates across the rest of the country. The Bolivian government devotes 23% of its annual budget to education, initiating a comprehensive reform in 1994 to address issues in the system. Primary education for children aged 6 to 13 is free and compulsory, with around four-fifths of primary-age children attending school. However, the attendance rate drops significantly for secondary education, which is not compulsory, with only about one-fourth of secondary-age children enrolled. The Bolivian education system consists of 12 years of schooling (primary and secondary), after which students are entitled to attend university.

Primary and secondary education

The Bolivian public education system faces challenges in terms of organisation and quality. Schools often lack proper maintenance, adequate furnishings, and classroom materials. Teacher strikes over wages and other issues can also disrupt classes for extended periods. As a result, foreigners residing in Bolivia tend to opt for private schools.

The language of instruction in Bolivian schools is Spanish. However, this has led to high dropout rates among rural students, as many speak indigenous languages such as Quechua or Aymara and struggle with Spanish. To address this issue, the government has implemented reforms to improve intercultural bilingual education.

The school year in Bolivia typically runs from February to November, with summer vacation in December and January. Students attend school in the morning or afternoon, resulting in a shorter school day. The daily schedule usually includes one or two recesses, and students generally do not have lunch at school. Most schools require students to wear uniforms and do not provide meals or transportation.

Rural vs. urban education

In Bolivia, primary education for children aged 6 to 13 is free and compulsory, though attendance is challenging to enforce in some areas. Secondary education is not compulsory, and only about a quarter of secondary-age children attend school.

There is a notable divide between rural and urban education in Bolivia. Rural illiteracy levels remain high, while urban areas are becoming increasingly literate. Nationally, illiteracy is over 13%, with rates reaching 25% in rural areas. In cities, the average number of years spent in education is 9.4, compared to 4.2 years in rural areas.

Rural families often rely on their children to help with farming and other tasks, leading to high absenteeism rates in schools. Language and cultural barriers also pose significant challenges in rural education. Teachers in these areas often do not speak the children's native languages, making it difficult for students to learn Spanish, the primary language of instruction. Additionally, cultural misunderstandings can hinder students' chances of advancing to secondary or higher education. Teacher training levels in rural areas are often inadequate, as more qualified teachers tend to stay in urban schools.

Girls in rural areas face additional disadvantages. In families with limited financial resources, parents often prioritize the education of sons over daughters. As a result, female illiteracy is higher than the national average, at 18.4%. While most children in rural areas complete primary school, few advance to secondary school. Early pregnancy and a lack of access to sexual health education further hinder educational opportunities for young women.

Efforts to reform the educational system in Bolivia have been met with mixed results. Political instability, social contestations, and resistance from teachers' unions have slowed the implementation of changes. However, some progress has been made in decentralizing educational funding, improving teacher training, expanding intercultural bilingual education, and revising the school grade system.

University entrance

Some students may receive special admission, which is granted to experienced professionals who have finished high school, officers of the armed forces or police, or students with foreign titles recognised through international agreements.

Foreign students must also submit a range of documents to obtain a student visa, including:

• A completed application
• A valid foreign passport
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate and/or another health certificate
• A passport-size colour photograph
• Documents relating to secondary or higher education
• An original letter of admission to the university or a copy issued by the target institution
• A certificate of no criminal record
• Confirmation of payment of the visa fee

Foreign students must also prove their Spanish language skills, as it is the language of instruction at every level of education in Bolivia.

There are 39 universities in Bolivia, offering a range of majors and high-quality knowledge at affordable prices. The academic year is split into two semesters, the first from mid-February to early July, and the second from late July to late November.

Adult literacy

In Bolivia, primary education for children aged 6 to 13 is free and compulsory, though attendance is challenging to enforce in some areas. Secondary education, which lasts up to four years, is not compulsory. As a result, while around 80% of primary-age children attended school at the end of the 20th century, the attendance rate for secondary-age children was significantly lower, at about 25%.

Historically, Bolivia has struggled with high illiteracy rates, particularly in rural areas. In the colonial era, education was largely inaccessible to Indians, who comprised most of the population. After independence, several decrees called for universal, compulsory primary education, but these were largely ineffective. By 1900, schools primarily served urban elites, and only 17% of the adult population was literate.

Bolivia has made significant strides in improving adult literacy rates over the years. In the 1950s, most Bolivian Indians were illiterate, but by the end of the 20th century, about four-fifths of the adult population could read and write. As of 2015, the adult literacy rate in Bolivia was 92.46%, with the highest value in the previous 39 years being 94.46% in 2012. The adult literacy rate refers to the share of individuals aged 15 and above who can read, write, and understand simple expressions about their daily lives.

Bolivia's left-wing president, Evo Morales, who took office in 2006, made eradicating illiteracy one of his main priorities. With help from Cuba and Venezuela, Bolivia implemented the "Yes, I Can" adult literacy campaign, which has been credited with reducing illiteracy rates from 13.28% in 2001 to 3.8% in 2014, according to the last census. This means that Bolivia is now considered to have eradicated illiteracy by Unesco's standards, which require countries to maintain an illiteracy rate of below 4%.

The "Yes, I Can" program, originally developed in Cuba by educator Leonela Relys, relies on local facilitators to go into communities to teach literacy with the help of audiovisual aids. The program has two phases. In the first phase, students spend three to six months learning basic literacy and numeracy. In the second phase, they spend another two years deepening their knowledge of maths, literacy, and the basics of natural sciences. The Bolivian government found the program to be effective and relatively low cost, at 18 million bolivianos per year (£2 million; $2.6 million).

School year structure

In Bolivia, primary education for children aged 6 to 13 is free and compulsory, though attendance is challenging to enforce in some areas. Secondary education, which lasts up to four years, is not compulsory. The school year is divided into two semesters: the first extends from August to December, and the second from January to June.

Legislation in 1956 established a six-year primary cycle, followed by four years of intermediate schooling, and two years of secondary school ending with the baccalaureate degree. However, laws in 1969 and 1973 revised the curricula and instituted a five-year primary cycle, compulsory for children aged 7 to 14, followed by three years of intermediate school and four years of secondary education. The first two years of secondary instruction consisted of an integrated program for all students, while the second two-year cycle allowed students to specialize in the humanities or technical fields. All courses led to the baccalaureate degree, necessary for university entrance.

The University of Bolivia, a consortium of eight public universities and one private university, was the only post-secondary school that awarded degrees as of the late 1980s. At least four other private institutions operated without legal authorization at that time. Other schools offered technical training in areas such as the fine arts, commercial arts, and teacher training.

The educational structure in Bolivia has undergone significant changes since the late 1980s. In 1994, a comprehensive education reform was initiated to decentralize funding, improve teacher training and curricula, and expand intercultural bilingual education. While these reforms have made important strides, resistance from teachers' unions has slowed the implementation of some changes.

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