The National Plan for Educational Transformation is the target of criticism by some social and religious organizations for supposedly trying to include gender ideology in the program. Rafael Obregón, UNICEF representative in Paraguay, stated that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the plan.
How is the educational education process progressing in the country?
We have been accompanying the process since its inception and we believe that it is a very important process for the country, mainly to respond to the urgency regarding the educational sector and improve the quality of education in the country. Also the data that is handled on the problem of education requires an urgent response, we believe that this is too installed in the country. We believe that all social actors should be part of the process. As the ministry said, an effort was made to create spaces for dialogue around the strategy or the plan, but as the MEC has announced, it is going to convene a new dialogue table, which seems to us to be an important measure to be able to find a exit and to be able to advance in the process. And the different social actors in the country can join this effort. But the important thing is that the country can make the necessary effort, invest in improving education in the country because in the end, if these solutions are not generated, it will continue to affect the education of boys and girls in the country.
What is educational transformation?
The Educational Transformation document describes in detail the different components, there are nine pillars that are part of the plan that are explained in the document that the MEC has disseminated through its different communication tools and social networks and describes each of these pillars. Certainly there seems to be a lot of misinformation around what these components imply, about the specific contents. Only greater dialogues for greater spaces for discussion can be very important to advance the plan and not stay in that debate. Education goes through these pillars; teacher training, that technical and professional education can be strengthened, that educational management be focused on children’s learning, that material and structural conditions in school environments be improved, mainly with technologies, with water conditions and sanitation, spaces for physical activity, they need for quality education, that there is sustained funding so that all the effort is maintained in the long term, and we know that there is a pillar on all these processes that is the strengthening of educational communities ; society, family and education. In this sense, the plan offers a kind of architecture to respond to the challenges of education in the country, and create the right conditions for the education of boys and girls. If that is still not clear to a large part of the country, it seems to us that the proposal that has been made to move towards a proposal for a dialogue process is a way of responding to all the concerns and clarifying all the doubts that exist regarding the plan.
How do you take these demonstrations in rejection of this plan?
All people, families, all sectors, have the right to present their points of view, in some way, it seems very important to us, that this level of attention has been generated on the process. Hopefully with a look towards the importance of advancing in the process of improving education in the country. Our expectation, we reiterate, is not to lose sight of the need to improve education in the country, to make the necessary investments and not to delay too much being able to offer a quality education to all the boys and girls in the country. More importantly, do not lose sight of the opportunity to improve education in the country and not delay too much quality education for the country’s children. Worrying figures are handled. The results, the tests, the skills with which many children leave schools that are suboptimal. All this has a negative impact on the comprehensive development of human capital and of course on the social and economic development of Paraguay, with all these implications, the most important thing is that a way out can be found. That is why we must find a plan that can improve education in the country.
Why did this project become so controversial?
We think there may be a lack of information, misinformation. And for this reason, to the extent that the proposed dialogues can clarify these readings, allow the entire country to internalize and sufficiently understand what the Plan implies, which is not found, which is an architecture to advance education in the country. Subsequently, the curricular contents and others are part of a process that the country manages, that should lead to concrete action to improve the educational system. But evidently, all that is heard is that there is either misinformation or lack of familiarity with the contents of the plan or a different reading of what the plan proposes, and for that reason that space for dialogue in the MEC will be important to resolve concerns and take urgent and far-reaching actions to be able to respond to the country’s greatest challenge, which is to improve the country’s level of education.
