Inclusive Education in Venezuela

[IndianaGreen]

Inclusive Education in Venezuela

August 24th 2009, by Caitlin McNulty

Higher education in the United Status, despite private scholarships and federally subsidized grants and loans, systematically excludes those from lower socioeconomic classes. From great disparities in the quality of public primary and secondary education to unbelievably high tuition prices, those whose families are not able to pay for their education often are forced to go straight into the work force. Even public higher education in the United States works to reinforce social classes rather than promote income equality.

Venezuela seems to have found a solution to this perpetuation of the inequitable distribution of wealth and power. Education is guaranteed as a right in the Venezuelan Constitution; "Education is a human right, a fundamental social right. It will be free, democratic, and mandatory...Every person will have access to an education...of equal quality and providing equal opportunity."

In the Venezuelan system of higher education, tuition is free for all, as are housing, transportation, and meals in an attempt to make higher education inclusive and accessible for all sectors of the population. In addition, a host of social programs have been implemented to improve the quality and accessibility of the Venezuelan education system as a whole.

Mission Simoncito fosters early education and brain development through providing free comprehensive day care and preschool to students aged 1-6, helping to ensure that all students are ready to start school.

Mission Robinson works to improve adult literacy, and Mission Ribas provides primary and secondary education to adults who dropped out of school. Mission Sucre brings university professors to smaller cities and towns to make college accessible for those with families to care for. In the next three years, 29 new universities, traditional and vocational, will be built in an effort to accommodate the large influx of students coming from the improved educational system.

These programs have formed a network that has nearly eradicated illiteracy in Venezuela. They have also contributed to the accessibility of higher education, with the number of students graduating public universities each year soaring from 172,432 in 1998 to 504,958 in 2007. In addition, it is estimated that over 70% of the new students entering Venezuela's university system come from families living below the poverty line.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4742