Join Canadian Expat, Dodie Schadlich, in her weekly column for "Off the Beaten Path". Read on to hear about the true cost of free education in Ecuador and the hardships it can create for the local populations..
Education In Ecuador
I believe that nothing in life is truly FREE and education in Ecuador is one of those many things. My focus today is on the hardships and realities posed to these families with school-aged children each year. I would like to address some common misconceptions about the process as well. My only point of reference is coastal conditions. It is my understanding that the mountain schools have a different start date. My guess is the families are still required to supply the start-up materials, thus face the same dilemma. The quality of education and services varies greatly from facility to facility so I am not comfortable making generalized statements as to what I feel may be lacking. Each educational experience can differ depending on: location, whether it is public or private, the quality of the neighbourhood it is located in, the number and quality of teachers and also the ability and intention of the Director (Principal) of any given school. Each variable can positively or negatively impact a child's overall learning experience. The country offers numerous private educational facilities that the wealthier families can choose from. As would be expected, they are often far better equipped in terms of services with more course options including English and computers. They also have their own lists of supplies to be purchased in addition to the tuition. The majority of the population, however, relies on the free public school system. As in other institutions, the education system is not immune to corruption concerns in how the allotted federal resources may be utilized. How, if, and when the funds and materials may be distributed are best left for another conversation and to be honest, as a foreigner I do not feel it is my position to comment too deeply on their system. My opinion means relatively little to the big machine. I choose to focus on solutions to help families with their immediate needs so the children have the best chance at receiving an education.
Understanding Costs
It is mandatory to send your child to school, however, the truth is many children simply do not finish their studies due to the annual initial cost of items required. The families I speak about tend to live on the outskirts of your vision, just off the beaten path. They make up a large number of the population of Ecuador and they are grateful if they can actually earn the minimum wage of approximately $360 monthly. I had the great pleasure of getting to know a local family that had one child, Abigail. It would have been her first year of school in April/May of 2014. I asked her family member if Abigail was getting excited about going to school. The tone of the conversation changed, the head hung low and the response was; "She won't be going this year."
I was puzzled. Surely she was going, why on earth would she not go? Furrowed brow; I simply had to ask, "Why? What I was told is that the parents did not have the money for the list. Still puzzled, I asked "What list? How much is this list?" The response was; "About $100. My Spanish skills were very caveman-like back in 2014. After I processed the information for a couple minutes; I repeated key phrases to ensure I understood what I was hearing. So, this young girl was going to miss her first year of school because the family lacked $100 to buy stuff on a list. The immediate thought that flashed in my head was; "Nonsense, that simply can't happen." Saving you all the little details, calls, and conversations that took place once the reality of what I had heard sunk in, I will skip directly to summarize that 6 children from 4 families received sponsors to help purchase the items for the 2014 year, including Abigail. Give or take we were able to collectively purchase a significant amount of items for $100 per child but it did not cover each and every item. It sure did help make a dent, though!
Making A Difference
The 2015 school year had 46 children with sponsors and 2016 had 52 children that received assistance. There were other people that started initiatives in their local areas and also individuals that reached out to workers and families near to them to offer assistance. The ripple effect was amazing to see. This year is still a work in progress. On the coast, they return to school starting April 24 for high school students and more grade levels return daily through that week until the Kindergarten children finally return on May 1 At present we have 46 children sponsored; The families we work with are planning food sales to help supplement the costs so as a group more children will receive even partial assistance. I will forever think of Abigail, as the spark that benefited many children and families over subsequent years go to school.
The Lists
The lists vary in content and price depending on the grade and school you attend. In general the lists can be printed from the Ministry of Education site. However, more often than not, the teachers modify the lists, excluding a few items, but adding in others. High school students also receive supplementary lists depending on specific courses they may take. Regardless of school or age, there are some items that are similar across the grades like: notebooks, pens, pencils, coloured pencils, erasers, rulers, sharpener, printer paper and scissors to name a few. Once these common items are purchased, the differing items are far greater. The younger grades concentrate more on spelling booklets, glue, foamy type construction papers, coloured sprinkles, and Plasticine. The older grades include things like calculators, protractor/compass sets, and geometric rulers. Another interesting part of the lists are the non-school related items listed under "Materiales de Aseo" (hygiene items) This may include any combination of toilet paper, hand soap, toothbrush and paste, hand towels, paper towels, combs or brushes to name just a few. The list pictured here from last year shows 3 rolls of toilet paper listed among many other things.
The Costs
The costs vary considerably depending on school and grade. Last year they averaged $43 for the group we purchased for; the highest being $67 and the lowest $28. These, of course, were the costs only for the stationary portion of the school lists and did not include a backpack to carry the items to and from school. It also did not include the "Materiales de Aseo", which was outlined earlier where the price can range from zero up to an additional $10 per child depending on the hygiene items listed. This was also apart from uniforms.
Children require both a uniform and gym clothing to attend school. The uniforms consist of a nice white crisp shirts, coloured pants or skirts (each school has a colour they
require) socks, and at times ties and/or crests. The formal uniform also requires black dress shoes. All these prices vary depending on size and whether a crest is needed. Some of the high school skirts actually need to be made so you have to buy the material and pay a seamstress to create them. The gym clothes vary from crested shirts and blue sweat pants to gray matching sweatsuits. Both styles require the canvas sneakers; white for the girls and black for the boys.
Some Food For Thought
There are some misinformation, misconceptions that I would like to take some time to address. I have spoken to parents, teachers, and students multiple times since 2014 to reach an understanding of what they face. I try to learn from them directly. I find this minimizes the chances for misunderstandings.