Luis Fernando Pardo, 14, has had a new cell phone for almost three months.
It is almost nine in the morning and he is getting ready for his math class through the Zoom platform.
He has an algebra book on the table, a notebook, and a pencil.
He supports his mobile device, with a screen of almost seven inches, in front of an old monitor that is connected to a computer that does not have the technical capabilities to hold a video conference.
Her teacher asks that the camera be turned on to check attendance.
"If I activate it, everything stops, teacher," excuses one of the 60 colleagues who are online.
Some students do not respond, others disconnect, speak simultaneously, the audio cuts out and the teacher despairs.
It looks like
déjà vu
2020, a year for the forgetfulness of the educational system in Bolivia.
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On March 12, 2020, after the confirmation of the third case of coronavirus in the nation, the interim president of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, suspended classes until March 31 as one of the precautionary measures against the pandemic.
Since then, the only classroom that Luis Fernando has set foot in is in a space next to the dining room and kitchen of his house.
After different attempts to train teachers in the use of virtual tools in education, courses with which it was intended to support more than 150,000 educators, the interim Executive determined that classes would not be resumed virtually until December, a measure This led to protests by teachers' unions in urban areas, as well as educators and parents in rural areas.
Luis Fernando Pardo, 14, is part of a virtual class in Mathematics, through the Zoom platform, from his home in Cochabamba, Bolivia.Andrés Rodríguez
For days, the teachers demanded a return to face-to-face education, arguing that virtual classes were exclusive due to the high costs of internet access in the country and the lack of this service in different rural areas.
Despite the arguments, the teachers' requests and the attempts at dialogue between the then authorities of the Ministry of Education, the Catholic Church and the unions did not reach any agreement.
Faced with this impasse, the Executive of Áñez announced the closure of the school year on August 2, with the argument in his defense of the health care of Bolivians, "especially of our children," he said, and the complaint, with a more political and social background, of a "radical and partisan attitude" to destabilize his government.
The provision also determined that all initial, primary and secondary level students would go on to the next grade, without there being any failure or repetition.
The measure was harshly criticized, since it affected some 2.9 million students, according to estimates by the Organization of Ibero-American States and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) in Bolivia, of which about 160,000 young people received his high school diploma, according to a press release published by the Vice Ministry of Communication.
Jazmín Choque and Fernando Gabriel, eight years old, share a cell phone to participate in a virtual class, since his parents do not have devices so that he can connect from home.Andrés Rodríguez
In February of this year, classes were restarted in Bolivia.
This return to the classroom, whose application is defined according to the epidemiological situation of the coronavirus in each municipality or region, was carried out in three modalities, as announced by the Ministry of Education: virtual, blended and face-to-face, giving priority to the first due to the new wave of coronavirus infections in the country that began last December.
To date, the Andean nation has more than 260,000 cases and has registered almost 12,000 deaths from covid-19.
The Minister of Education, Adrián Quelca, announced that the three modalities are being reinforced with four components of assistance for the work of the teacher and students: the Moodle educational platform, whose access is completely free, the classes broadcast on radio and television , through 11 private media and state television, through the Educa Bolivia strip and the delivery of educational cards.
“It is costing us that there is full use of the educational platform;
Despite the advantages it has, many teachers and our students have not been able to enter, but most of the school population is being served by the State in terms of public, private and agreement education ”, explains Quelca.
Four out of ten adolescents or young people did not have access to classes through the internet during 2020
However, despite these efforts, the school boards of parents determined on the night of February 12 to suspend educational work throughout the country from the 22 of the same month, at least until the conditions for access are guaranteed. of all students to the different types of classes.
Internet connectivity problems and access to devices such as computers, electronic tablets and cell phones were, again, an impediment for some sectors.
According to the results of the survey
The educational continuity during the quarantine
, published in 2020 by Unicef Bolivia, four out of ten adolescents or young people did not attend classes through any internet platform, a fact that worsened in rural areas where there is less economic income and access possibilities to the web.
Despite the suspension in February, Luis Fernando's classes continued virtually, like last year.
In their school, which is public, they were waiting to be able to implement the blended modality, but they still did not have the necessary biosecurity measures in the educational unit, such as a disinfection chamber, foot floods in the main entrance and in the classrooms, in addition to alcohol for disinfection, cleaning materials such as soaps and a water supply for hand washing.
Additionally, students must carry disinfectant alcohol or hydroalcoholic gel, and the use of a mask and face protection screen has been made mandatory.
Elementary students from the San Andrés Educational Unit, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, pass through the disinfection chamber before entering the classrooms to pass classes.Andrés Rodríguez
Within this modality, the classes last two hours, the courses are divided into two groups and it was agreed to implement them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the Primary cycle and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for the Secondary.
"In Bolivia there is a tendency to return to semi-presential classes, which is accompanied by the mass vaccination plan that has begun in the country," says Minister Quelca.
“I want to go back to face-to-face classes.
With some teachers, such as mathematics, physics and chemistry, it is understood the same what we go through [virtual or face-to-face], but there are others who give their subject as if they were not giving it importance, they do not make an effort to pass classes well, "says Luis Fernando, a little tired after his class time.
According to a U-Report survey by Unicef Bolivia, published in June of last year, 93.2% of the students questioned critically expressed that they are not learning "nothing", "almost nothing", or "more or less" with the initiatives. virtual teaching that are applied both in private and state education.
Luis Fernando's mother, Sabina Pardo, is hesitant, but is aware that there is no alternative.
He sees deficiencies in the virtual mode, but he also fears for the health of his children.
“The educational level in the
online
mode
is very low.
My daughter is only being taught by primers to do her homework, they send us 10 sheets and they pass classes three times a week through Zoom.
As there are 42 children per year, the teacher does not finish explaining, so I also think it is good that they return taking care of themselves at all times ”, adds Pardo.
Bolivia occupies one of the last places in Latin America, position 13th out of 16, in terms of educational performance, according to a regional study by UNESCO
The quality of education in Bolivia is an issue that has been put on the table recently.
As a result of the Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (Third), carried out in the region by the Latin American Laboratory for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education (Llece), of UNESCO-Santiago, the Andean nation occupies one of the last places in America Latina, 13th out of 16, in terms of educational performance.
Although the Third does not establish a
ranking
as such, the comparative study between the different countries was carried out by the
Compass Digital
medium
, taking the average of the results obtained in the reading and mathematics exams for the third grade (boys and girls of eight years) and reading, math, and science for sixth grade (11-year-olds).
Bolivia obtained 662 points out of 1,150, only surpassing the qualification obtained by Nicaragua, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic.
The list is headed by Chile and Costa Rica, countries with a score of 785.2 and 749, respectively.
The Government of the Movement Towards Socialism has made a great effort in terms of improvements in schooling rates and in the construction of schools in the last 14 years, but everything seems to indicate that it has not been able to influence the quality of education.
“This position does not stop drawing attention, but you have to see that each context in each country is totally different.
It helps us to strengthen and improve the weaknesses identified and enhance the positive that we have and continue working.
But not to condemn or prosecute the educational system in Bolivia ”, adds Quelca.
High school students from the Nueva Veracruz school, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, attend a class in the courtyard because their classroom is not yet enabled.Andrés Rodríguez
Almost 11 years after the implementation of Law 070 on Education Avelino Siñani-Elizardo Pérez and in view of the results obtained in the Third Law - carried out in Bolivia for the first time in 20 years - the question arises as to whether to think about a reformulation of the Educational Reform or to rethink the school curriculum.
Quelca maintains that the current educational policy is valid, as well as the productive socio-community educational model that proposes a "decolonizing, liberating, revolutionary, de-patriarchalized education."
“Law 070 has not been 100% fulfilled and we have to apply it fully, so that it can be reflected in the development and improvement of educational processes.
There is no need to make a new educational policy.
Maybe we have been slow, but the application has gradually gone away, ”says the head of the Education portfolio.
It remains to be seen if the plan, designed by the authorities of the elected government for 2021, achieves its objectives or could be postponed again.
It is a scenario that none of the nearly three million students enrolled for this year wants to repeat.
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