Berkley Center

Background: As part of the Education and Global Social Justice Project, in July 2011 undergraduate student Codie Kane interviewed Ada Zarceno, a specialist in didactics and a leader of the distance learning program at José Simeón Cañas Central American University (Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas, UCA) in El Salvador. In this interview, Zarceno discusses the distance learning program, including its development and the challenges it faces, and rural education.

Tell me about your work in the Education Department at the UCA. How did you arrive at your present career?

I’m a graduate of the UCA, and I’ve always maintained a link to the university. I began working in the Education Department during the government’s Education Reform Program in 1995. My area of specialty is didactics and curriculum design. I currently work with English, preschool, and special education teachers. I am part of the distance learning program for education students.

Could you tell me more about your work with the distance learning program for education students?

The program was actually developed by the University of El Salvador under the name of Formation of Popular Educators. It was introduced after the peace accords to allow the popular teachers, those who had started teaching of their own initiative outside the state system during the war, to get official teaching degrees without having to go to San Salvador.

The UCA’s program has a similar design, but it was implemented in 2005. It enables people in remote areas who might not otherwise have access to higher education get a university degree. Participants study from home via an online platform. Every Saturday, they attend a live class in their region of origin, currently either the department of Chalatenango or that of Morazan. The classes are five hours long and taught by various UCA faculty members. Students have the same graduation requirements as those involved in non-distance learning programs. They take the same standardized tests, etc.

I teach Didactics One and Two. This semester I worked in Morazan, but next semester I’ll be in Chalatenango. I also work on curriculum design. I try to adapt the programs to the particular conditions of the program. The live classes are meant to be workshop-style. They center more on learning than on informational content. The virtual platform is intended to provide students with the course substance. They contain lectures, readings, etc.

What challenges has the program posed?

For one, the length of the live classes is overwhelming. Students and teachers alike feel that they have to cram a huge amount of learning into the period, but doing so is exhausting. This generates a lot of anxiety. The participants themselves present various issues. Most students come from relatively low quality schools. They aren’t prepared for college-level work. Our task, then, is not only to teach them, but also to catch them up to where they should be academically. They also have limited economic resources. Many come to class without eating or after walking for hours because they have no other means of transportation.

We also face structural challenges. Students need the internet to access the online platform, submit their homework, and see their grades, but the regions in which they live have poor coverage and very few public computers. The roads are so bad in Chalatenango and Morazan that sometimes we are unable to pass through them. During the winter, in particular when it rains, we occasionally have to cancel class.

The fact that the program was the first of its kind at the UCA has also made for a variety of difficulties. It presents administrative questions, because it’s organized differently than the rest of the university. When it was initiated, many questioned its credibility. They wondered if students would actually learn.

Nevertheless, my experience with the program has been great. I’ve found it stimulating and enjoyable. Each live meeting is like a little party. The students want to learn so badly.

What does the program need to overcome some of the challenges you just outlined?

We need large-scale structural change so that students’ lives are easier and regional access improves.

More immediately, we need the UCA to be more flexible with the program. Students currently have the same requirements as those in non-distance learning programs, but I’m not sure this really makes sense. They face distinct learning demands so they should be graded in different ways.

What has been the outcome for program graduates?

We just held our third graduation. Of the 100 people who have gone through the program, almost all have remained in their region of origin and are doing something related to community development. Most are teachers, but about 10 percent end up working in different areas. They get jobs with NGOs, the government, or community projects.

Does the UCA’s Jesuit identity influence the program?

I think that the program itself comes from the UCA’s Jesuit-driven mission to work for social change. It is designed to change the structure of our society through forming good students and teachers. It demonstrates a commitment to social justice because it targets one of the most vulnerable populations in the country. It empowers them to help their own communities and makes them conscious of the injustices around them.

Describe to me the current state of education in El Salvador, particularly in rural, underprivileged areas.

Education in rural areas of the country is better than it was three or four years ago. However, these areas are still based around agriculture. They prioritize production over studies. They still don’t fully value education. At the same time, though, many of these places have high levels of community organization. They suffered greatly during the war and were forced to organize to survive. This structure favors educational development because it signifies that schools exist within the communities and that citizens work together to ensure that their children go to school. Higher education is still for the privileged. It’s expensive and concentrated in the capital. In the rural areas where it is difficult to access, people simply don’t consider going.

Is there a link between education and community development?

Yes, but only to a certain extent. Where there is better education, quality of life is better. Human lives, especially children, are valued more. People have more hope and higher aspirations. In this historical moment, though, the connection isn’t a simple one. There is very little evidence of a correlation between education and economic development because of the economic crisis. Many highly educated people are unemployed. In the capital, in particular, there are many professionals, yet conditions are deteriorating.

What is the future of education in El Salvador?

This is very difficult to say for a number of reasons. First, the country recently emerged from an armed conflict. All of the education and social justice projects currently in place were developed during a war. Second, we have a leftist government. Everything that they attempt to do is obstructed by those traditionally in power, the right. In any initiative they try to pass, educational or otherwise, they have to answer to the conservative oligarchy. In two years, there will be elections. We still don’t know if the left will win or if the right will return to power.