I Educate

I Educate focuses on providing basic educational services by applying specific teaching methodologies to the problems of desertion, absenteeism, and low school population. The central strategy here is social mobilisation, in such a way that parents, principals, teachers, and students are full participants in the educational processes of their community.

Specifically, the programme is guided by the Communal Associations of Education (ACE), made up mostly of parents, through which families sign a covenant with the Department of Education. The latter then provides funds that the communities administer, to the end of providing basic and preschool education services. The ACE select and hire teachers, thereby striving for decentralised administration of education and full participation of the community in education.

The programme offers training for fathers and mothers, school principals, and teachers. In the case of the principals and teachers, days of technical monitoring of the processes of teaching and learning are also offered.

The classes provided by I Educate schools are held in traditional classrooms or in available spaces selected by the community, such as churches or community centres. Offerings include: the Classrooms Alternatives (focus: attaining two or more degrees, or multiple majors); the Classrooms of Special Education (focus: children with moderate disabilities); the School for Parents (attending to parents with a focus on development and common participation); the "Teleaprendizaje" (focus: providing the third rural cycle with technological resources); and Rapid Classrooms (attention to populations with a gap in schooling).

Education, Youth, Children, Rights, Conflict, Technology, and Democracy.

Organisers cite the following main impacts of the programme:

• increased access to education and educational services on the part of the community
• improvement in the quality of education through the contracting of trained teachers and through books that are reflective of and harmonious with the reality of the country
• creation of complementary programmes such as school nutrition endeavours, which have contributed to the improvement of the quality of life of rural populations.

They claim that the communities and schools participating in I Educate have enjoyed:

• increased management and leadership capacity, institutionalisation of civic participation, and access to education on the part of the economically poorest
• greater participation by parents as compared to traditional rural schools
• better-equipped classrooms.