Evaluation of USAID-assisted educational sector programs in Guatemala, 1969-1983 : final report

education projects implemented in Guatemala during the period 1969-83. Special evaluation is based on document review, site visits, interviews with educators, field studies, and analysis of archival data. Overall, the projects (4 of which are ongoing), have been well-designed and have addressed rural Guatemala"s most pressing education needs. Although most major objectives have been realized, specific targets - which tended to be unrealistic - often were not met, due especially to late start-ups. Many gains have been diffused beyond initial sites (e.g., the adoption of A.I.D. construction standards by government agencies). Over 500 rural primary schools and 2 normal schools (Santa Lucia and Monjas) have been built/reconstructed and equipped and are in good condition, despite the absence of a Ministry of Education (MOE) school maintenance program. However, much equipment is underused or unused. Fundamental change has occurred in the primary school curriculum, specifically, the introduction of complex problemsolving techniques (to replace rote memorization) in 100 rural schools, An ongoing project with considerable promise is developing bilingual texts (in Spanish and 4 Mayan languages) for preschool and grades one and two. Two nonformal eudcation projects have built/equipped radio stations and tested the effectiveness of various media mixes. While the first was entirely successful, later efforts have been hindered by an overly centralized administration and predominantly Spanish messages (5 of the 8 projects did not plan for the fact that most highland Indians do not speak Spanish). A project to upgrade MOE staff - primarily through training - has made a good beginning. Some areas have not been so successful, however. Few graduates of the two normal schools have been offered teaching positions, possibly due to political reasons. Most texts in rural schools are some 15 years old and neither widely available nor widely used - although some 3.9 million texts/teachers" guides were printed, most remained for years in an MOE warehouse. Use of the regional/satellite school concept (in pilot projects) was never institutitionalized and has been discontinued. Studies to assess the feasibility of using double school sessions and a flexible school calendar for migrant children indicate that both programs would succeed. Another study suggests that bilingual promoters with 6th grade educations can be as effective as trained monolingual teachers.