Geographic Spotlight

Peru // Andean and Amazonian Areas

In Peru, the most serious problem, although not the most widespread, is the lack of access to educational systems. This condition is now exacerbated by the pandemic. It is urgent to obtain data on how many students dropped out of school (exclusions) and how many left school partially though the year (withdrawals) so that the Ministry of Education can set the emergency goals for 2023.

The government in Peru must address these specific situations:

1. Coverage deficits that persisted prior to the pandemic
2. Withdrawal and exclusion processes in 2020 and 2021
3. Children who have left private education and must be incorporated into public education (there were 110,000 in 2020, and there could be more than 300,000 in 2021)

From a geographic perspective, the social innovation need is most severe in the Andean and Amazonian areas of Peru. In Loreto and Huancavelica, lack of reading proficiency is the first concern where only 4% of students understand what they read. A second concern is the timely completion of secondary school. On a national scale 68.6% of adolescents complete secondary school on time, but in Loreto it is only 38.6%. The third concern is the problem of school desertion. According to official figures, more than 670,000 children and adolescents have not enrolled, probably because they have entered child labor. The Ministry of Education is working on the school enrollment issue, but it is also urgent to have updated information on how many have not returned to school, as well as to be clear about what learning must be addressed.