A group of well-armed men en- tered the town of Las Brisas in
northern Nicaragua. After burning
all adult education materials and
forcing everyone to listen to vio-
lent, fanatical speeches, they kid-
napped the education program’s
young administrator, Valentina
P6rez. P~rez managed to escape,
Catherine Gander has worked in Nicaragua for the past two and a half years. She recently worked for seven months with the Vice-Ministry of Adult Education.
hiding for several hours in a ditch,
while her captors were fighting
the Sandinista Army. Undaunted,
P~rez soon requested a new sup-
ply of materials from the regional
adult education office, pledging
to “work harder than ever to eradi-
cate ignorance and cultural back-
wardness.”
Jeny Perez, who works in adult
education in the northern town of
San Fernando, reported that con-
tras “burned our office, along with
most of the materials, the food
distributed to popular teachers
and the archives. After opening
fire on the town, a band of men
had entered and begun pounding
on doors. They then burned the
house of one of the teachers, Jesi(s
Ortez, and kidnapped him.
“They later kidnapped and killed
another teacher, F6lix Melgara,
and Jos6 Betrin, who was taking
a training course in adult educa-
tion. All told, about 30 students
and teachers from this area have
been kidnapped.”
Members of the militia at the Chiltepe dairy farm on Lake Managua study two hours each evening.
0
ZE
(5
C
NACLA Report 42update * update update * update
Factory workers, farmers, fish- ermen, housewives, market ven- dors, shoeshine boys and soldiers are among the 161,000 Nicara- guans who gather each afternoon or evening to study. They attend Popular Education Collectives, or “CEPs,” as they’re commonly called, which constitute the nu- cleus of the country’s adult edu- cation program. These teachers and learners are only one of the many targets of
Reagan’s “secret” war. From May
1982 to May 1983, 81 popular
teachers were kidnapped or mur-
dered by opponents of the pro-
cess of social change. Transport-
ing adult education materials and
basic supplies to communities has
been made more difficult by am-
bushes. Some of the materials de-
livered to outlying towns in the
north have been destroyed by
counterrevolutionaries.
Poor Man’s Formula
The CEPs are the continuation
of a unique educational process
which began with the 1980 national
literacy crusade. Given the dev-
astation caused by the civil war
and the overwhelming scarcity of
resources, the only way the Sandi-
nistas could fulfill their longstand-
ing promise to eradicate illiteracy,
was to use the “poor man’s for-
mula.”
Through a series of workshops,
85,000 were trained as literacy
teachers. Sixty thousand of these
were brigadistas, high school stu-
dents who taught in rural Nicara-
gua. The various mass organiza-
tions were mobilized to help sup-
ply and transport the brigadistas.
The international community also
made important financial and ma-
terial donations to the crusade.
Sept/Oct 1983
PINSA’s first level CEP uses books they printed themselves.
The young people fanned out
across Nicaragua, integrating
themselves into the daily lives of
the communities where they taught.
For many of the brigadistas, the
experience helped broaden their
perspectives by bringing them
into contact with rural Nicaragua.
By the end of the crusade in
August 1980, over 400,000 adults
had learned to read and write.
The national literacy rate had been
reduced from 50.37% to 12.96%.
During the second stage of the
crusade on the Atlantic Coast,
twelve thousand costeiios acquired
basic skills in English, or the in-
digenous languages, Miskito and
Sumu.
The literacy crusade laid the
foundation for the current adult
education program. To take the
place of the brigadistas, outstand-
ing students were named “coor-
dinators” of new groups called
CEPs. Each group had from five
to fifteen students. A “promotor”
was appointed to supervise the
work of the groups in a particular
zone, and coordinate with the mu-
nicipal commissions set up dur-
ing the crusade. The Vice-Ministry
of Adult Education was established
to oversee the program at the na-
tional level,
Working Children Included
The coordinators and promoters,
or “popular teachers,” are the driv-
ing force of adult education. There
are now 21,682 coordinators and
3,103 promoters. More than half
the popular teachers had not com-
pleted primary school in the times
of Somoza, and relatively few had
attended high school. Nationwide,
the average educational level is
2.5 years.
Marvin Garcia, coordinator of
the CEP at the Chiltepe dairy farm,
has a fifth grade education. Ex-
plaining why he decided to teach,
he says, “I saw that many of my co-
workers needed and wanted to
learn, so those of us who knew
even a little had to help in any way
we could.” The Chiltepe farm, on
Lake Managua’s southern shore,
was nationalized when its owner
fled Nicaragua in 1979.
After work or classes, teachers
such as Garcia devote two hours
per evening to teach and learn
with their fellow workers, neighbors
and friends. They receive only a
small stipend from the Ministry of
Education.
Mario Justos, coordinator of the
fourth level CEP at the PINSA print
shop in Managua, says he sees
his role as coordinator to orient, or
43update * update update * update
Alejandro Sosa, first level student, adjusts the press at the PINSA plant.
focus the class, but not “teach” in
the traditional sense. “The others
really run the class, and we all learn
from each others’ experiences.”
Adult education classes are
currently offered at the introduc-
tory or literacy level, and five out
of an eventual six progressive
levels which correspond roughly
to a primary school program. It is
hoped that upon completion of
these levels, students will have a
solid base on which to build tech-
nical training.
Of those registered for the first
semester of 1983, over one-third
were at the literacy level. The ma-
jority of students live in rural areas,
and 44% are women. The “adult
education” program also includes
a large number of working children
who spend their days selling news-
papers or cigarettes, shining shoes
or guarding parked cars.
A student’s progression can take
various tracks, dependent on age.
The children will eventually be in-
corporated into the standard edu-
cational system leading toward
further schooling. Those from 15
to 24 years old, the majority, may
follow up with job-oriented techni-
cal courses after completing the
44
basic adult education program.
Public sector employers are re-
sponsible for upgrading the tech-
nical skills of their employees be-
tween 25 and 46 years of age.
Transforming Reality
The Sandinista government has
given top priority to improvement
of the educational system. Thou-
sands of new schools have been
built or opened in communities
which previously were completely
isolated or ignored. The number
of teachers has almost doubled
since 1979. Curriculum as well as
methodology are changing.
In a revolutionary context, “edu-
cation” is part of every social, po-
litical, economic and cultural ac-
tivity. Adult education in Nicara-
gua is just one element within a
wide-ranging process of social
transformation.
Inspired by the pedagogy of
the Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire,
the program has developed a
methodology unique to the Nicara-
guan experience. Adult education
seeks to stimulate a process of
“conscientization,” encouraging
not only a description of the parti-
cipants’ social reality, but also the
understanding, analysis and even-
tual transformation of that reality.
The methodology and materials
used in Nicaragua’s program do
not reflect a rigid separation of
disciplines. Natural and social sci-
ences are interwoven, while math
books make use of problems that
may arise on the job.
A fourth level student at PINSA,
Luisa Torres, says she had studied
15 years ago, but had to drop out
to work. “Classes are different
now; we go at our own pace. If we
need to review a lesson, we do.
While each lesson teaches us lan-
guage skills, it also teaches us
history, geography, economics…
all of this combined. The lessons
are based on our experiences at
work and at home, things we really
live.”
The program is characterized
by flexibility. It is continually re-
evaluated and adapted to the
changing needs and demands of
an accelerated process of social
change, as well as to the rhythm
of labor requirements for the prin-
cipal harvests, and to varying
paces of classes in different re-
gions. Ideally, the program can
be used successfully by people
of very different ages, professions,
interests and capabilities, in a
great variety of social settings.
Poolside CEP
As the sunset engulfs the sil-
houettes of two volcanoes, the
militia members at the Chiltepe
dairy farm, armed with rifles, pen-
cils and notebooks, study at rustic
picnic tables.
A corner of the ex-owner’s house
is now a spartan guard post, sur-
rounded by a sand bag barricade.
The kidney-shaped pool lies aban-
doned. A thatched hut-with a
picturesque bar, a forgotten fish-
ing trophy and hanging lanterns-
NACLA Reportupdate * update * update * update
now houses a poolside CEP.
Coordinator Garcia, also pro-
duction secretary of the Sandinista
campesino organization, the As-
sociation of Rural Workers (ATC),
explains the three-step methodol-
ogy they are using. “First, we dis-
cuss the photo at the beginning of
the lesson; this one shows people
preparing the soil for planting.
Then there are readings and ex-
ercises which tell us about health
and agriculture, like here where it
talks about how to prepare the
soil, which crops should be plant-
ed in different kinds of soils, how
to choose seeds, how to plant and
irrigate, what fertilizers and pesti-
cides to use.
“Finally we look at how we can
apply what we’ve read to our own
community, to change things. We
could do a skit illustrating all of
these things, and talk about how
we can take advantage of the
courses offered by the Ministry of
Agriculture and better organize
our work in the cooperative.”
One first level student, Porfirio
Ruiz, says that adult education
will allow students to “better” them-
selves. Instead of working in the
fields with a machete, Ruiz hopes
that in a few years he will learn to
operate agricultural machinery.
“Adult education is the base of
our future technical training. We
must work to replace many dairy
technicians who were here in the
times of Somoza, for they are
against the revolution. We, the
campesinos, will become the fu-
ture technicians of Nicaragua.”
“Being An Example”
The concrete walls of the lunch
room at the PINSA print shop are
decorated with red hearts from
Mother’s Day, lively posters and a
mural of a co-founder of the San-
dinista Front, Carlos Fonseca. De-
Efrain Vargas–printer, CEP teacher and university student.
spite the stifling heat, about 20
workers of all ages are gathered
around long tables in the room’s
four corners. They are studying
books they printed themselves a
few months ago.
Ernesto Arteaga, secretary of
culture for the local of the San-
dinista Workers’ Confederation
(CST), explains that it was hard to
get the CEPs going in the factory.
“We used to have five different
shifts, which meant that not every-
one could attend afternoon class-
es. Our union worked with the ad-
ministration to resolve the prob-
lem, and we managed to unify the
work timetable so we can all par-
ticipate.” The union helps the adult
education program in any way it
can: assuring that the necessary
materials arrive, explaining to
workers the importance of educa-
tion, functioning as liaison to man-
agement.
Mirta Guti6rrez, a student in her
mid-forties, is in first level. She
works cleaning the factory and
stacking books. She is very active
in the defense committee (CDS)
and the women’s organization,
(AMNLAE) in her neighborhood.
“At first I thought I’d die of shame
Sept/Oct 1983
when I had to get up and speak to
people. Now I help other women
get over their shyness.”
She felt she was too told to
study, but her daughter told her
that since she was so involved,
she should also “be an example”
in adult education.
“Unless you have some prep-
aration, you can’t talk to people
about anything,” she now says,
“and since you are always talking
in AMNLAE and the CDS, you
should improve your ability to think
through what you want to say and
how to say it.”
Guti6rrez explains that it is hard
for her to concentrate on classes
at times, because she worries
about her three sons who are sta-
tioned with the Army on the bor-
der. “I suffer, but I know we must
struggle. .. .”
Efrain Vargas coordinates the
third level classes. He works eight
hours a day making plates for
printing, attends the CEPs in the
afternoon and university classes
in the evening. He is active in the
Sandinista Youth movement (JS-
19), which supports adult educa-
tion by organizing informational
meetings, making posters and
45update * update update * update
providing popular teachers. He
also plays four instruments in a
musical group just formed in the
factory, called The Border Guards
-“in honor of our heroic brothers
and sisters defending our freedom.”
Vargas was a brigadista in the
literacy crusade, an experience
which fed his desire to be a popu-
lar teacher.
“I enjoy teaching and I’m learn-
ing a lot from the people in CEP.
I’m especially learning from their
tremendous sensitivity and sincere
desire to better themselves.
“It’s a bit heavy to be doing so
much, but when I see how high
people’s spirits are, how much
energy and dedication everyone
has, I know nothing could stand in
the way of adult education, or this
historic process. … Adult edu-
cation is very important because
it awakens workers and campesi-
nos from the ignorance they were
subjected to, and lets them see
clearly what this revolution is all
about, that it belongs to the popu-
lar classes.”
Upgrading Teaching Skills
Problems inevitably arise in a
program which is so ambitious,
and is evolving in such a complex
and difficult situation. Transporta-
tion problems sometimes prohibit
materials from reaching classes
on time. Many of the popular teach-
ers are not sufficiently trained.
Sometimes teachers are only a
few steps ahead of their students
in the curriculum and cannot an-
swer questions. Their inadequate
understanding of the methodology
of popular education can also
lead to its mechanical implemen-
tation.
Recognizing these problems,
program planners have deemed
teacher training a high priority.
Teachers now attend weekly work-
46
shops and intensive training ses-
sions over a two- to three-month
period at the end of the academic
year. They also receive some
pedagogical orientation via a daily
radio program.
Another problem is that the adult
education materials are not always
relevant to users in different re-
gions of the country. Although the
texts are essential to rediscover
history, explain reconstruction pro-
grams and analyze the current
difficulties Nicaragua faces, ma-
terials must also respond to very
disparate regional realities. More
decentralized production of ma-
terials would better fit into the revo-
lution’s focus on empowering
people to develop their own form
and content.
In response to these considera-
tions, materials are now beginning
to be produced locally. Among the
first experiences was the produc-
tion of photo-stories. A core team
of popular teachers was trained as
“grassroots journalists,” learning
to photograph, collect oral histor-
ies and construct lively sociodra-
mas. They returned to their com-
munities, captured residents’ words
and images and transformed these
into photo-stories.
In another recent example of
participatory research and curri-
culum development, a series of
regional workshops taught com-
munities how to use different forms
of communication (music, dance,
theater, graphic arts, poetry) in
the process of adult education.
Yet the most serious problem
facing the program is the reper-
cussions of U.S. pressure on Nica-
ragua. The economic boycott,
which includes the blocking of
Nicaragua’s loan applications to
international lending institutions,
has made it difficult to acquire
some of the basic materials need-
ed for adult education, such as
printing supplies and pencils. An
international campaign to discredit
the Sandinistas has resulted in re-
duced support for educational pro-
grams by some international or-
ganizations.
Destabilization Backfired
Most troubling, however, is the
escalation of military attacks. Those
involved in adult education have
responded to these attacks with
great courage and conviction,
seeking ways to continue study-
ing. In some northern towns, chil-
dren are posted outside the house
where a CEP is being held. With
their signal of the approach of
someone “suspicious,” reading
materials disappear and the CEP
turns into a social gathering. Ma-
terials have at times been buried
to save them from destruction.
Many teachers have refused to
surrender. In Kiwaska, armed in-
vaders tried to forcefully recruit a
CEP coordinator, Teodoro Diaz.
He repeatedly rejected the AK rifle
thrust at him, shouting that he
would rather die than take up arms
against his own people, and de-
nouncing the contras’ “preach-
ings.” Dfaz was led away by the
attackers and is presumed dead.
Inevitably, adult education pro-
grams reflect the possibilities and
limitations of their social context.
Despite Nicaragua’s current diffi-
culties, the Sandinista government
has continued to allocate signifi-
cant resources to education. At-
tempts to destabilize and defeat
the educational efforts, and the
revolution, have backfired. Nicara-
guans have responded with ever
greater strength and commitment.
“After taking the first step,” they
proclaim, recalling a slogan used
during the literacy crusade, “we’ll
never stop moving forward.”
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