The National Intercultural Bilingual Education Plan ensures quality education in indigenous languages. The Ministry of Education-Minedu expects that 9 out 10 indigenous children will complete primary education in due time by the time the country celebrates 200 years of independence, in 2021.
To Minedu, 2021 is the target date when Peru hopes to see indigenous children conclude primary cycle in time and intercultural schools provide educational material in native languages.
To do so, the Education Ministry has the support of the National Intercultural Bilingual Education Plan (EIB, for its acronyms in Spanish).
Overcoming this challenge ensures that by the time we celebrate the Independence bicentennial year, quality basic education will be available for 1,100,000 boys, girls and teenagers in 52 indigenous towns, where 47 indigenous languages —officially recognized by the State— are spoken.
In the middle of 2011, Minedu embarked in a new phase of the National Educational Project, through which EIB policies were implemented in a systematic and progressive manner focusing on school students in the Andes and Amazon of Peru.
Such policies guarantee the provision of adequate education —based on values and cultural practices— to students who have good command of their native language and Spanish.
The plan builds on a baseline that states, for example, that 52% of indigenous children receive EIB services at kindergartens nowadays. In light of this, annual goals towards 2021 are being set gradually.
For instance, about 60% of indigenous children nationwide will have access to intercultural bilingual education in 2016, 70% in 2017, 75% in 2018, 80% in 2019, 85% in 2020 and 90% in 2021.
(END) DOP/RMB/MVB
Published: 2/5/2016