The Power of Persistence: Education System ... - EQUIP123.net

Nicaragua: Summary
COUNTRy CONTExT
In Nicaragua, the divisions from the civil conflict in the 1980s have continued to
influence the policies and practice of education reform. Without the consistency
of strong educational leadership and a national vision, Nicaragua’s progress is
more sporadic and dependent on the continuity of donor support. Dramatic
reforms like autonomous schools are still playing out in the national debates.
Despite these challenges, demonstrably effective Active Schools (Escuelas Activas
or EA) reforms have been continuously supported by successive governments and
ministers, and have survived even the transition from a Liberal to a Sandinista
government. A review of the reforms that occurred under the administrations
during the last 20 years illustrates how the implementation of successful
programs underlay the subsequent policy framework, and how ultimately the
continuity of programs garnered and hinged on local and international support.
REFORM gOALS
In general, the goals of the Ministry of Education (MINED) 1 have fluctuated with
political administration, a trend obvious in the transition from the Sandinista
National Liberation Front (FSLN) to Violeta Chamorro’s administrations and
the National Opposition Union party (UNO). At the time, the Ministry of
Education did not have a coherent vision for education, or stable and consistent
staff. Rather the early reform initiatives were promoted and dependent on a
few key personalities (ministers or certain strong figures within MINED), the
most notable being Humberto Belli, Minister of Education in the Chamorro
and Alemán administrations. Ideologically, the MECD under Belli valued
individualistic goals and individual moral responsibility, as opposed to the
collective and mass participatory ideals of education under the FSLN (Gershberg,
2002). Nicaragua, with support from international donors, engaged in widespread
1 The current government, elected in 2007 uses the acronym MINED. Under the prior governments the
Ministry was the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports, the MECD.
SECTION 2: lESSONS fROM COUNTRY CASE STUdIES
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