National Overview: Peru

Definition of Literacy: Anyone fifteen and over can read and writes.

Written or Oral Language: Spanish and Quechua are the official languages,

But Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages are also spoken.

Literacy rate: Males 95.2%, Females 86.8%. Total population 90.9% (2003 est.)

Overview of Education: Schooling is regarded as the sine qua non of progress and the key to personal advancement.

Total expenditure on education: 3% with a GNP per capita of 2,460 in 1997.

Script/Alphabet used: Alphabet, written right to left.

**Occupational distribution:* Agriculture & Fishing 14%, Construction 7%, Government 9%, Manufacturing 22%, Mining 11%, Services 37%. (1990 Data)

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School Structure

Primary School

• Length: 7 years
• Age level: 5 -12 years old

General Secondary School

• Length: 4 years
• Age level: 13-17 years old

Preparatory Secondary School

• Length: 4 years
• Age level: 13-17 years old

Technical School and Junior College

• Length: 2 years
• Age level: 17 and over

Higher Education: University and Vocational

Public or private schools and compulsory or optional: Education in Peru is compulsory for primary and secondary schools. Entry at five and may exit at sixteen years old. (1997 Data)

School Attendance % -- 28% in 1990.

Percent Education level achieved -- School enrollment was practically universal for the 6 to 11 years old group, about 80% of the 12 to 16 year old, and over 30% of the 17 to 25 year old.

Post-Secondary Opportunities -- Post secondary opportunities are mainly in the large cities in 1997 over 30% of the age group 17 to 25 year olds attended post secondary.

Pupil to teacher ratio -- Primary level class size is 30.6 students to one teacher, Secondary is 22.4 students to one teacher.

Teacher Qualifications -- Usually university trained.

Languages in School -- English and Spanish, although some private schools speak only German.

Method of instruction and Subjects/Curriculum -- There is a combination of both lecture and hands on. Reading, writing, history are the core subjects. Most schools are heavily laden with patriotic, if not jingoistic, nationalism, elements which are written into textbooks by the Ministry of Education.

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Culture of Classroom

Physical Environment -- There is much disparity between the rich and poor, and between rural and urban areas, indigenous and non-indigenous populations, and between public and private schools. The noted similarity was that all public school students wear a military cadet-type uniform. Boy uniforms include a cap introduced by General Manuel Odria regime in the 1950s.

Cultures of classroom including discipline – Both the primary and secondary schools are highly regarded for their efforts to instill discipline and character.

Gender roles in classroom -- Peru is a nation steeped in andocentric traditions, but more women are obtaining higher educational levels to open up avenues, to gain respect, and upward mobility that otherwise are closed to them.

Parent involvement/Parent Role in Education – To the poor areas of Peru going to school is considered as the most important first step on the road to “progress” out of poverty and a state of disrespect, if not for themselves, for their children.

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Access to Education

Educational barriers -- School policies encourage the discarding of Native American clothing and languages.

Gender access -- In 1866 the Minister of Justice and Education opened schools to women.

Socio-political influences -- The Ministry of Education in Lima exercises authority over a sprawling network of schools for which it uniformly determines curricula, textbook content, and the general values that guide classroom activities nationwide. (The Library of Congress)

Progress -- With constitutional changes and renewed attempts to modernize, it became the obligation of every department of education and province to have full primary and secondary education available, at least in theory, to any resident. (The Library of Congress)

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Sources

ABC Maps. Picture of Peruvian flag: Retrieved February 26,2006.

http://www.theodora.com/wfb/peru/peru_flags.html

ABC Maps. Picture of Peru: Retrieved February 26, 2006.

http://www.immigration-usa.com/wfb/peru/peru_maps.html

The Library of Congress, Federal Research Division- Country Studies: Retrieved February 26, 2006.

http://rs6.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

Education in Peru: Retrieved February 26, 2006 from http://Worldbank.orgs

Special thanks to students at Lima University at http://www.ulima.edu.pe/.

Last Revised

02 Nov 2006