Guatemala faces serious challenges in education quality, coverage, teacher capacity, and gender and ethnic disparities. Only 40 percent of sixth graders reached performance standards in reading. Exacerbating the challenge, most Guatemalan youth do not reach high school, with 40 percent of 14-16 year olds not attending school. In the predominantly indigenous Western Highlands, this rate rises to 61 percent. Long-term, sustainable development and improved equity in Guatemala will only be possible if youth receive a quality education. USAID’s education investments strengthen reading skills for underserved students through the development of reading resources in indigenous languages as well as Spanish. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, national education professionals, and local community members; USAID developed and implemented a national literacy model to promote reading and the professional development of teachers.
“When you do not know how to read, you are limited in life.” said Juan Pedro Gregorio, a parent of four living in Huehuetenango Departement. He, like many other parents in the Western Highlands, struggled to find quality resources to educate their children, especially while schools remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To provide a resource for families like Juan’s, USAID supported the development and distribution of digital books accessible through the online library Bloom Bookshelf.
USAID provided teachers and school staff across Guatemala with workshops on using Bloom Bookshelf in the classroom and how to create content of cultural relevance for the library. “One of the things that I love about Bloom Bookshelf is that it has stories in many Mayan languages. This encourages communities to learn their mother tongue. In addition, the platform includes stories about the traditions and customs of Guatemala,” says Aura Marina López, a teacher at Roberto Molinain school in the city of Quetzaltenango. The books are available online or can be downloaded. Many titles even include audio files for students to listen to the book.
When the Library was launched in 2019, little did people realize how useful it would be when, just 3 months into 2020, schools across Guatemala were closed due to pandemic-related restrictions. With support from USAID, the Ministry of Education provided distance educational resources though Mineduc digital with the Bloom Bookshelf prominently linked to provide access to thousands of books in English, Spanish, and indigenous languages. “The Bloom Bookshelf empowers students to use technology to strengthen their education,” says Héctor Guzmán, Head of Pedagogical Assistance at DIDEDUC in Quetzaltenango. Héctor actively participates in the creation of new materials and in the training of teachers to develop these resources. He recently published Pujb'il Yol Mam, a Mayan Mam language dictionary. “Dictionaries are important to form good reading habits,” he said. To date, 5 dictionaries have been published on the site in Mayan languages, expanding access to educational resources for indigenous youth. Since its inception, visitors to the site have read over 410,000 stories and more than 24,000 books were downloaded.
With schools not being able to offer in person learning and continuing with distance learning into the 2021 school year, USAID continued to support access to these resources. The books are available to read online or, because of the lack of internet access in some communities, can be downloaded and shared through Whatsapp. Aura Marina López downloads books that follow her lesson plans, and distribute them to the parents and students weekly in this way. “There are a variety of stories with themes related to what I am teaching.” Said Aura, speaking about her experience with Bloom Bookshelf. “For example, I shared the book Luisa the Firewomen when we were studying the work of public servants.”
USAID partners with public, private, and civil society organizations to reduce digital and technological gaps in the education sector. USAID's Digital Strategy strengthens openness, inclusion, and the security of the digital ecosystems to empower people and communities to use digital technology to access services, interact with each other, and increase economic opportunities. The Bloom Bookshelf is empowering both teachers and students in Guatemala to use a digital tool to increase access to learning resources. With a wide range of digital materials created and published in Mayan and Spanish languages, USAID’s education investments strengthen reading skills for underserved students, creating long-term, sustainable development, and improved equity in Guatemala. “My children use Bloom Bookshelf and it helps them get ahead in school,” remarked Juan Pedro Gregorio.
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Photos: USAID Guatemala