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

El Salvador: Summary
COUNTRy CONTExT
In the early 1990s, El Salvador emerged from more than a decade of civil war.
Civilian rule that was restored with by incoming ARENA government in 1989
had only limited authority in the ex-conflictive zones until the Peace Accords
were formalized in 1992. Prior to the war, education was inequitable, favored the
elites and strongly favored the capital city (Marques and Bannon, 2003). The new
Salvadoran Ministry of Education (MINED) was responsible for resuscitating
a public education system that had been neglected for years—with the result
of low levels of access, enrollment, attainment, equity and literacy. Almost two
decades later, MINED’s long-term plan for education reform continues to shape
Salvadoran education today.
REFORM gOALS
ARENA’s goals for national reform were twofold. The first was to ‘modernize’
the government’s structure by streamlining bureaucracy throughout the various
ministries and increasing efficiency through decentralization and privatization
of services (Cuéllar-Marchelli, 2003). The second goal was to transform and
rebuild the education system as the center of ARENA’s reconstruction agenda
(Marques and Bannon, 2003). Throughout the period, the explicit goals for
education were targeted increases in access, completion, and improved learning
outcomes. These goals became more explicit in the 10-year plan, and even more
specific in the Plan 2021.
Strategies
MINED was charged with improving their operations within the national
framework of modernizing the government. In 1992, the Ministry of Education’s
situation was chaotic. It had grown haphazardly over the previous decade,
and with the earthquake of 1986, MINED was not only organizationally and
administratively disorganized, but also physically fragmented as offices were
relocated throughout San Salvador. Their relationship with the teachers’ union
SECTION 2: lESSONS fROM COUNTRY CASE STUdIES
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