Programa de Prevención de Violencia Escolar en Honduras

The initiative aims to address the issue of school violence, which hinders education delivery and access, retention, and learning goals. The program's objectives include creating safe learning environments, strengthening local networks to enhance school safety, and increasing the capacity of the Ministry of Education and social protection actors to prevent and respond to school violence. Pandillas and school violence are significant concerns in Honduras, particularly in San Pedro Sula. According to data, 40% of the school-age population sympathizes with maras, while 360 schools are located in areas controlled by gangs. Furthermore, 80% of students at the Instituto Chávez have brought firearms, knives, or other weapons to school, and many educators pay a monthly "tax" to gangs, with an average of L. 1,150. Additionally, 3,000 students in San Pedro Sula have requested transfers due to insecurity. The Tercer Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo (TERCE) conducted by the Laboratorio Latinoamericano de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación (LLECE) of the UNESCO in 2015 revealed alarming statistics on school violence in Honduras. The study found that 26% of students reported being bullied, 12% feared their classmates, and 39% of teachers reported incidents of violence in the classroom. Moreover, 41% of teachers reported that a student had physically attacked another student, and 27% of school directors reported incidents of violence in the school environment. The Programa de Prevención de Violencia Escolar has four objectives: improving the capacity of educational centers to reduce violence through the creation of safe learning environments, strengthening local networks to enhance school safety, increasing the capacity of the Ministry of Education and social protection actors to prevent and respond to school violence, and reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors for students eligible for secondary education. The program will be implemented in the municipalities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, Choloma, and Tela, targeting basic education centers, secondary education institutes, and technical institutes.