The Education System of Nicaragua

Abstract

This chapter deals with the limitations of the Nicaraguan Education System when it comes to contributing to equity and social progress. Although from 1970 to 2014 the average level of education of the population of 15 years of age and older went from 2.6 to 6.2 years, access to education continues to be limited for those who live in remote rural areas of the central and northern parts of the country, the Caribbean Coast, and even in some marginal urban areas. In terms of educational quality, the gaps are even more pronounced. The causes of this inequality are multifactorial: political conflicts, wars, natural disasters, and, above all, the lack of national-interest public policies that foment major, progressive investments in education.

In Nicaragua, investment in education does not exceed 4% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and is regressive in general, as a large part of it is absorbed by the public universities, which are attended by many students who are not poor. The basic education (preschool, elementary, and high school education) budget continues to be low with respect to the total spending of the public sector and is mainly used for current expenditures. Due to the fact that the educability of those who enter the education system is determined by the “accident of birth,” a major investment in preschool and elementary (primary school) education, based on policies of positive discrimination for children of rural areas and the Caribbean Coast, would lead to growth in the rate of graduation from sixth grade and to a widening of access to high school education. The sixth-grade graduation rate – lagging behind with respect to Central America – does not exceed 60%, being 21% among those in poverty.

The education system does not take advantage of the technology available and the quality of the service continues to be incipient, which is evident in the results of Nicaraguan students in national and international tests like the Second Comparative and Explanatory Regional Study SERCE (Segundo Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo, SERCE) in 2006 and the Third Comparative and Explanatory Regional Study (Tercer Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo, TERCE) in 2013, in which Nicaragua ranges below the Latin American average and even below various countries of Central America. This limited learning is even more reduced among indigenous people and students living in poverty, meaning that the vicious cycle that originated decades ago is maintained. Reducing educational inequality is a pending task. The solution is not easy and must be assumed by all Nicaraguans at their different levels of responsibility.