Combating Indigenous Child Labor Through Education In Ecuador And Bolivia By Azra Kacapor

Effective models

Combating indigenous child labor through education in Ecuador and Bolivia By Azra Kacapor

Statistics: Education for Indigenous  Students in Ecuador Attendance rate among indigenous children is 27% lower then the national average By the age 12, only 42% of indigenous children stay in school. Many of those that leave go on to pursue full-time employment

Barriers to Quality Education Insufficient investment in education  Inadequate education infrastructure and educational supplies

 Poor instruction  Teacher shortages  Inferior bilingual curricula

Barriers to Quality Education  Multi-grade classrooms with students of different ages and abilities  Unqualified and

inexperienced teachers  No incentive to improve instruction  Inadequate attendance to students’ special needs

Intervention strategies 1. Educational opportunities: Appropriate educational opportunities provided according to specific educational and labor conditions of targeted child laborers and at risk children 2. Awareness Raising: About the effects of child labor on the right to education raised among families, community leaders, teachers and children. 3. Institutional: Child labor issues incorporated by local and national institutions and indigenous organizations in their agendas 4. Community ownership Rooting the interventions and the management of the project resources at the local level with indigenous organizations

Participation and empowerment Local stakeholders understand and participate fully in the program as a key element of the intervention.  Involvement of indigenous organizations, communities and families starting with the design of the proposal itself.  Participation in project management:    

Select and prioritize communities Validate the intervention strategies Select and hire teachers Technical and financial administration of the project

Project implementation structure Participatory approach to project start up Defining roles, responsibilities, Setting up rules and strategies and the budgets ( e.g. the problem analyses, the selection of communities, roles and responsibilities and basic budget allocation

Project management and coordination committees

1 delegate from 1 delegate from indigenous organizations The bilingual directorates (provincial level)

1 delegate from the project team

1 delegate from other relevant stakeholders INNFA

Effects of child labor/ Type of problem:

Strategies

School drop out

Immediate reinsertion

Severe age gap (primary)

Accelerated Primary School Program

Severe age gap (Junior High)

Accelerated Junior High Program

Too many hours of labor:

Academic tutoring and reinforcement program

Poor quality of education (writing and reading in Spanish)

Teacher's training

Poor educational quality in high school

Reforming the high school technical curricula and school management and operation

Education interventions  Accelerated Primary and Junior High Programs:  Goal: Facilitate the completion of primary and junior high school for those Indigenous children out of school or with school gap of 3 years or more.

Accelerated education – leveling

ENROLLMENT

PROPEDÉUTICO LEVELING

DESARROLLO CURRICULUM CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT

IV CYCLE DIAGNOSE

LEVELING PERIOD

III CYCLE II CYCLE I CYCLE

After­school support program  This program is implemented after regular school hours by specially trained tutors.  It has a double purpose: Reduce the number of hours that the children spend working and improve their reading and writing skills.  In order to strengthen reading skills, a series of techniques based on play and art are used  The program includes:  A specific curriculum, organized into three age groups: 6 to 8-yearolds, 9 & 10, and 11 and older.  Guides for the tutors to lead the daily sessions.  A training program  A model for providing follow-up and technical assistance

After­school support program  This program is implemented after regular school hours by specially trained tutors.  It has a double purpose: Reduce the number of hours that the children spend working and improve their reading and writing skills.  The program includes:  A specific curriculum, organized into three age groups: 6 to 8year-olds, 9 & 10, and 11 and older.  Guides for the tutors to lead the daily sessions.  A training program  A model for providing follow-up and technical assistance

Improving the quality of technical high schools •Definition of the desired outcomes for each graduate • Curriculums for each specialty • Review and improvement of the contents of each subject (individual work with each teacher) • Updated bibliography • Introduction to practical training activities through field laboratories Example: Avila Technical Agricultural High School, Amazon: initial investment : $20.000 sale of products.

After 1 ½ years the school made $15.979 through the

Overcoming barriers to accessing  education The project had to overcome significant barriers of access so that working or at-risk children can enter school.  Problems include long distances, transportation costs, and the difficulty in covering costs for school supplies and uniforms.  Some solutions: Host families and scholarship programs

Sustainability   Transfer of the methodology to the State  Diversification of funding sources – local fundraising  Inclusion of a focus on corporate social responsibility

Achievements  Withdrawal of over 3,600 indigenous children from hazardous labor situations  Retention rate to 97%

Achievement – program focus Program

Year 1

Year 2

Total

Accelerated Primary school

290

211

501

Accelerated Junior High

384

238

622

After school support program

2216

1112

3328

Scholarships

304

304

Technical specialty

300

300

TOTAL

2890

2165

5055

Thank you