Title: Pride of the Maya -- basic education project for Mayan girls in bilingual and bicultural manners.

POPLINE Document Number: 120361

Source citation:

JICA NEWSLETTER, 1996 Nov;6(4):7.

Abstract:

Girls Education Project, a two-year program sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), seeks to address the educational needs of Mayan girls in rural Guatemala. The program is being implemented under the framework of the Japan-US Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspectives. Preliminary fieldwork revealed the importance of ensuring that entire communities, including teachers and parents, appreciate the human right of rural girls to a basic education. The project team will conduct three-day workshops in each of the four pilot states in 1997 to discuss teaching methods, materials, and curricula to promote girls' participation and improve their achievement levels. Also planned is a three-day national seminar involving governmental officials and representatives from the public and private sectors, nongovernmental organizations, professional groups, universities, and ethnic and cultural groups. The bilingual/bicultural method selected for the intervention seeks to implement basic education for Mayan girls in both Spanish and the four main Mayan languages. Another focus is to encourage the students to maintain pride in their cultural heritage.

Keywords:

Japan
Guatemala
International Agencies
Child, Female
Indians, South American
Education
Rural Population
Training Programs
Women
Asia, Eastern
Asia
Developed Countries
Developing Countries
Central America
Latin America
Americas
Organizations
Child
Youth
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Ethnic Groups
Cultural Background