International Cooperation in Education: The Guatemala Experience.

Overview & Synopsis

International cooperation in education in Guatemala is examined with regard to objectives, allocation, and effects of technical and financial assistance. The document is presented in two major sections. Section I focuses on how educational planners respond to social needs and political influences. Topics discussed include difficulties of maintaining consistency in educational guidelines in the face of frequently changing governments, long-term and short-term objectives, conflicts between rural and urban interest groups, and assessment of needs in basic education, literacy, nonformal education, and professional training. Section II examines relationships between national development objectives and international cooperation. In addition, it specifies amounts of international aid which have been allocated to various sectors including education, culture, and urban development. The report concludes with the suggestion that education in Guatemala will benefit more from international aid when the Guatemalan government clarifies its own educational objectives and when the government is able to allocate for educational purposes some of the money which is now spent on housing, health, transportation, agriculture, and communication. (DB)