Programa de Alianzas Empresa & Educación en América Latina/ Informativo bimestral

The publication highlights the importance of partnerships between businesses and educational institutions to improve education outcomes. One of the key dimensions of the private sector's action in education is cobertura, or coverage, which refers to the creation of programs or projects to expand access to education for children and youth. This can include initiatives such as scholarships, sponsorships, donations, and infrastructure development. However, these initiatives often have a limited geographical and demographic impact and can be costly and unsustainable in the long term. Another dimension is calidad, or quality, which involves initiatives that benefit children and youth in vulnerable situations. These can include the creation and implementation of innovative pedagogical models, training and capacity-building programs for school administrators and teachers, and the design of comprehensive intervention and improvement programs for school management. These initiatives require specialized knowledge and a high level of articulation with teachers, administrators, and educational authorities. The third dimension is política pública, or public policy, which involves the private sector's influence on educational policies and decision-making processes. This can include the creation of associations of businesses and entrepreneurs, such as "Empresarios por la Educación," and the establishment of citizen observatories to monitor and evaluate educational policies. This work is accompanied by actions such as press releases, forums, seminars, workshops, and national campaigns to discuss and highlight strategic issues in the educational situation. Each of these dimensions presents specific challenges and dilemmas, as well as different levels of complexity and articulation with third parties (peer organizations, expert entities, and the public sector) to increase the impact of interventions. In recent years, the PREAL has generated a rich database of Alianzas Empresa-Educación in Latin America, which registers cases and experiences of the private sector in the three dimensions mentioned, and can serve as a reference and inspiration for the entire business sector in the region. In Guatemala, the Fundación Tigo has benefited over 7,500 children from low-income families in eight municipalities of the department of Totonicapán. With a donation of US$2 million from the Fundación Tigo, the "Escuelas del Milenio" program built 179 classrooms, 121 bathrooms, and 39 kitchens in primary education institutions. The president of the Fundación, Mario López, announced that for 2011, Q18 million will be invested in the reconstruction of 50 schools in Huehuetenango, which will benefit thousands of children from low-income families. In El Salvador, El Diario de Hoy presented its program "Educa Hoy" for 2011, which is part of its commitment to childhood and education in the country. The program has been strengthened over 23 consecutive years, and its director, Fabricio Altamirano, emphasized the importance of perfecting the quality of its contents. The program will accompany the educational community during the school year with four areas of work: publications, a student service program, and other initiatives to support education. The Programa de Alianzas Empresa & Educación en América Latina highlights the importance of partnerships between businesses and educational institutions to improve education outcomes in Latin America. The publication showcases various initiatives and experiences of the private sector in the region, which can serve as a reference and inspiration for the entire business sector.