In
2010, I visited both Costa Rica and Nicaragua as part of a volunteer
organisation based in London, England. Leaving a worried mother and father at
home I embarked on a three month trip that, little did I know, would be the
best three months of my life so far. I was assigned to a project based in La Vanilla,
a small village on the outskirts of Achuapa, Estelí, where about ten families
resided. I lived with a family of eight in a two-room corrugated iron hut.
Living amongst the locals was the best way to do it as I learned a lot about
their struggles, their successes and their general everyday activities. It
seemed to me that the main problem was with education or the lack of access to
it. The school there was made up of three rooms, with one acting as a lunch /
music hall and the other two as classrooms. What stood out was how the
textbooks, that supposedly taught English, were incorrect and thus, the
students were not learning anything of value. A second issue lay in the fact
that they had no consistent teacher. The family I lived with told me that it
was a touch and go situation as to whether a teacher would turn up for school
that day. After more questioning I learned that teachers are not held in high
regard in Nicaragua, much like other countries. The average wage for a teacher
in Nicaragua is well below that of a market worker and in actual fact Nicaraguan
teachers are amongst the worst paid professionals in Nicaragua. Indeed, they
are amongst the worst paid workers in Central America. 
Recently,
a Nicaraguan economist by the name of Adolfo Acevedo, who is a independent
research professional, said that,
“The
glass ceiling for the quality of education is the quality of teachers. And
there is no way to attract better and more qualified teachers to the profession
if people can earn twice as much doing just about any other job.”
Indeed,
this statement may be on the right lines as it is obvious that if teachers
continue to be among the lowest paid workers then the supply of teachers as
well as the demand for teaching jobs will decrease. Leaving Nicaraguan
education in a state of disrepair. In order to alleviate this problem, the
issue that must first be addressed is the lack of funding for teachers. The
average wage must increase, attracting a better-educated group of teachers that
have the capabilities to teach young Nicaraguans and to be able to sustain a
lifestyle that will sufficiently support them. When the Sandinista government first
came to power, they claimed free education for all. President Ortega went as
far as to say that education will be a "priority for his
administration" and deployed a nationwide literacy campaign. Although the past
government may have caused the problem of a lack of funding for education in
Nicaragua but it appears that the new government has done nothing to change
this. Indeed, the situation has been called "stagnant" as the issue
of underfunding continues to be a problem. In a developing nation such as
Nicaragua, where funding for education is difficult due to other national
expenses, it will be critical to ensure that the appropriate funding is
directed to teachers training and increase salaries in order to ensure quality
education for all.
Author: Maddie Owen (Pangea Proxima Intern)
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