Project description

Title: Educational reform – teacher training in intercultural bilingual education and intercultural bilingual education in five Andes nations
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru
Lead executing agency: the education ministries of the participating countries
Overall term: June 1992 to September 2007 (completed)

Context

In the Andean countries the demands of the Indian population for intercultural bilingual education (IBE) are being taken more and more seriously. However, there is still a lack of expertise in the education sector. Universities and other educational institutions are short of instructors, and there are few research projects on this topic.

Objective

A supraregional network is set up which is maintained and used successfully by indigenous organisations, ministries, and universities in the participating countries. The network serves the training of indigenous managerial and other specialist staff in the field of intercultural bilingual education.
Within the scope of this network, a course of study is offered for teachers who speak an indigenous language.

Approach

The countries taking part in the project are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. The project, known locally by its acronym, PROEIB Andes, is headquartered in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It administers the basket fund set up by the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Finland in support of the four indigenous Bolivian educational councils and provides the relevant specialist consulting services.
The main focus of the promotional measures is advising the relevant ministries, organisations and universities and training for their staff. The necessary materials are provided.
Training programmes in the field of IBE are conducted for indigenous managerial and other specialist staff. These training programmes serve as models for Latin America.
At supraregional level, a research programme on educational systems and policies will be conducted.

Results achieved so far

From 2000 to 2003, almost 100 students from the six participating countries completed their studies in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In 2004 alone, about 40 students began a new course of study. Various universities and ministries in the participating countries have taken advantage of training and advisory services for their specialist staff.
The third regional contest for young researchers on the theme of intercultural bilingual education has already been announced. In cooperation with other organisations, 25 publications have appeared dealing with the topic of intercultural bilingual education. The best Master’s theses on this topic will also be published.

Further information

• website of the project
  www.proeibandes.org
• Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas de Bolivia
  www.cidob-bo.org
• Ministerio de Educación de Chile
  www.mineduc.cl
• Ministro de Educacion, Cienca y Tecnologia
  www.mcye.gov.ar
• Bolivia - Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deportes - Inicio
  www.minedu.gov.bo
• Ministerio de Educación, Peru
  www.minedu.gob.pe
• Ministerio de Educacion y Cultura del Ecuador
  www.mec.gov.ec
• Minsiterio de Educacion Nacional, Colombia
  www.mineducacion.gov.co
• Universidad de la Frontera, Chile
  www.ufro.cl
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
  www.pucp.edu.pe/invest/ridei
• Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Ecuador
  www.uio.ups.edu.ec