A Discussion with Father Rafael Garcia Mora, National Director, Fe y Alegría Bolivia
With: Rafael Garcia Mora Berkley Center Profile
July 17, 2012
How did you wind up in Bolivia from Barcelona?
By chance. I was asked to work here for two years, and now I've been here 31 years. I was at first here to support projects related to biology and economics, to develop varied agricultural zones in various ecological zones of the country, in areas where agriculture had never thrived and people lived through gathering and fishing.
Is there an environmental aspect to Fe y Alegría education?
Of course, it’s part of the curriculum, but we also have two schools that are built entirely with local materials, one in Cobija and one in Riberalta. There is a pilot program fully linked to ecology. In addition, Fe y Alegría assists teachers who want to get a diploma in ecology and the environment. It’s part virtual, part in person, and many teachers have registered since there is no other place in Bolivia where you can study this.
So there is little ecological education in state schools?
Very little, because teachers are not trained for that. Our training programs were previously only for Fe y Alegría teachers, but when I joined Fe y Alegría, we decided to open all the programs. More than 50 percent of participants are teachers in state-run schools. Last year we had 4,500 teachers who passed through our courses, and 2,000 were in Fe y Alegría schools.
Expanding on this subject a little, for you, what are the most difficult challenges to be faced in the country to have a better future?
I believe that education is the most important in the transformation of the country, and within that, a very important part is teacher training. Many are poorly trained, with a very basic and traditional training. We are starting to do virtual training because it’s very difficult to do in-person training with people scattered everywhere in the country. We are also thinking of founding a university.
Will it be a university for teacher training?
The basics would be teacher training, but in Bolivia a university must have at least four areas. We are proposing some areas related to sociology, and one that would be business administration because it also makes change in the society. Currently the mentality, not only in Bolivia, is to be an official. It is a problem because the bureaucrat does not lead change, does not create jobs, or innovate. You have to train people to do something new.
We have some pilot programs in Tarija and Santa Cruz. We also have vocational schools. But I think that is not enough; it is very difficult to change the mindset of the major technical training centers. We are already beginning, experimentally, with programs in primary education, talking about what is business, what does it mean to gain or to lose, earn more than your costs, and self-finance your business.
What role does the national office play regarding departments and the different work areas?
There are five areas: general education, technical training, out-of-school education (especially for the indigenous population at this time), special education, and one that is a transversal issue, education in human and Christian values. Then there are three implementation strategies: quality, advocacy to change public policy, and institutional strengthening.
So does Fe y Alegría influence national educational policies?
Yes, of course, and because of our importance and coverage in Fe y Alegría, we do a lot. We have good relations with the Ministry of Education and are highly respected. We get asked for advice, or they ask us for materials that we have developed to disseminate at all levels.
What are some examples of programs by Fe y Alegría that have been adopted throughout the nation?
One example is special education. We have worked in special education for 10 years. Before, there was no training for teachers to work on that, and so we began to train teachers in Fe y Alegría. This has been incorporated into the new education law. The Ministry of Education has three sub-ministries, which are higher or technical education, regular education, and special or alternative education. They have taken a lot of Fe y Alegría experience, and now in the teacher training schools there’s a specialty in special education for the first time.
Other issues, such as vocational training, were started by Fe y Alegría many years ago (with other institutions as well), and now the new law says that all high school students should graduate with some trade or technical skills.
How did Fe y Alegría start working in special education?
From the choice for inclusive education. After setting for ourselves a goal of inclusive education, at first from a bilingual and intercultural perspective, gradually we realized that there was a population that was marginalized. It began with classroom support programs, because these students should not have separate schools, but must attend the same schools, with specialized people to help. Gradually there were other challenges. Once a young man has finished school, what can he do in life? Then we developed a program, especially in Santa Cruz, where they identify the capabilities of young people. And an assessment is made on the basis of this, so they can do professional training in one of our centers, and then become incorporated into the working world. By now in Santa Cruz there are 40 young people who have gone through this program and are already working in companies as waiters, in supermarkets—one works in a nursery. Normally a disability affects the pace of work, but if someone develops habits of perseverance, they can outperform others.
Is there much variation between different departments’ programs?
No, not really. The role of the national office is to make a single corporate image in all departments. Yes, there is variation in a department or program if it has received special support, or depending on the particular context. For example, the job placement program has advanced more in Santa Cruz, and we have Yachay Wasis [Houses of Knowledge] in Cochabamba and Potosí to serve rural indigenous communities.
Is there also a lot of coordination with the international Fe y Alegría?
There are basic principles accepted by all of Fe y Alegría, like popular education and quality. But there are nine programs named by the international federation, and it’s not necessary to do all of them in every country. Of the programs out there, we now do almost all of them, but as projects within the five areas we have. For example, special education isn’t a program at the international federation level. We have also gone beyond in the issue of computing. Above all, there’s coordination in the style of education.
Speaking of the style of education, is popular education inclusive with education in values? How important is faith in the educational programs of Fe y Alegría?
I think what we see in Fe y Alegría is that we work in many different religious congregations, 42 just in Bolivia. Everyone can contribute with his charism to work, and as an institution entrusted to the Jesuits this doesn’t mean that we should put too much emphasis on Ignatian spirituality. However, some things are unavoidable because they make the very identity of the body: the whole issue of magis, the subject of history, the option for the poor. These things arise in large part out of Ignatian spirituality, but they are accepted and adopted by all congregations.
On the subject of values education, two things. First, we call it education in human-Christian values. In Bolivia, now, there is a great emphasis on respect for different beliefs and spiritualities. But Christian values do exist in many religions. For example, Fe y Alegría has schools in Africa. In Chad, all our students are of the Muslim religion. In varying degrees we have African or Afro-Bolivian students, or students that are spiritualists. We as an institution cannot have a very limited view of what religion is.
The other issue, human values, is a feature of education in Fe y Alegría. Punctuality, respect for the environment, commitment—this is evident in our schools. There are also businesses that form relationships with Fe y Alegría to support us, and they talk about these values too. When you think Fe y Alegría, think training in values of honesty, respect, dignity, punctuality, etc. That's one of the "pluses" that Fe y Alegría provides.
And in the public schools, they don’t do this?
No, it is difficult to generalize, but if a teacher is late, or arrives unwell, that sends a message. There is a noticeable difference if you visit a state-run school and a Fe y Alegría school. We develop more sensitivity, cleanliness, punctuality, etc.
Are there efforts to make the public schools take account of these factors?
It depends on the teacher, but it’s not a problem identified by the government to solve. The teachers’ union is very strong here. It is difficult to demand a change or improvement. This isn’t only in Bolivia, but also in Mexico, and the United States. Teachers have ceased to be just those with a vocation for education and have started to become a political force.
I know this has been a problem with the educational reform of 1994. What do you think of this law, and how it is or is not realized?
It was instrumental in that moment because it opened the possibility of education for the entire population. Previously, only the sectors with high economic capacity were educated, and education was banned for some sectors to control them. This change that occurred was notorious because it took the educational philosophy of Paolo Freire and developed all teacher training based on that.
There were things that seemed very positive, but also others that have been part of the degeneration in the educational field. For example, anyone who has graduated from a teacher training school has their salary guaranteed for life. In a country with few resources, this attracts many people, even those who have no educational vocation. There are also those who complete degrees in engineering or medicine, and they complete teacher training later to assure their salary for life. It is untenable at this time in the country where there are 11,000 young graduates who have no access to education. There is a considerable stoppage in education. Teachers, as they are insured for life, continue until they are very old, even when they may no longer have the ability or interest to teach. A principal once told me he had four teachers so advanced in years that the only thing they did was sleep.
In addition, the teaching hours are very low, so wages are also low. It's a vicious cycle: the teachers are asking to be paid more, and the government says that if they work more, they’ll pay more, but then they’d need fewer teachers, and that's not acceptable to the union. The unions control them, and this involves a lot of corruption. The boss charges for every position in very large sums. There are bribes, and the teacher who does not enter into this scheme will spend all his life in a far-away corner of the country.
The training courses offered by us are not recognized by the union, because of course, if they were recognized, our teachers would be ahead of everyone, so the union’s solution is just to recognize their own courses. Sometimes I think the only solution is to get rid of all the teachers and start with a new generation.
If Fe y Alegría could change very broadly the educational system in the country, what would you do?
I think that's it, creating a new generation of teachers. And that is what we are doing. The success of Fe y Alegría is in training teachers and school management.
Are there new education policies by President Evo Morales?
Yes, the 1994 reforms were a very important theoretical effort but with no operational capacity. What the president has done is enacted a new education law, not a reform. It has a shorter time frame. I think the government is the first in the last 30 years that has taken seriously the issue of education. There are faults, but it is part of the agenda permanently. The Ministry of Education has been the same from day one. It’s a very technical team.
This law has some basic components: the EIB (intercultural bilingual education), education for work, education for human coexistence. The education law has a very interesting philosophical position, but we’ve been unable to agree on implementation. It hasn’t materialized yet.
The biggest challenge is you have to train teachers with the new philosophy, and I don’t know if that’s possible. They haven’t implemented that yet. The law has also changed the organizational chart. Before, within departments there was a great deal of corruption. Now all education authorities are appointed by the ministry. There is also the institutionalization of administrative duties. Before, it was done by the unions, among friends. But there are so many things to do that the problem is to do something in time.
Is there a less tangible change that comes with having an indigenous president, regarding how students feel?
One of the best things this government has done is to better the self-esteem of indigenous people. A problem in Bolivia is that we have a majority indigenous population which is excluded from society. Now, there is a huge demand for education in poorer areas which didn’t exist before. People see that their children can access previously unable careers through education.
Another issue is the dropout rate. Students enter school but then because the teacher did not come, or for other reasons, they stop going. Now there's the Bono Juancinto Pinto [a voucher for school-age children], which is not only in Bolivia. It is a symbolic aid, but aid nonetheless.
Also, this government has invested in schools like never before. Before, Fe y Alegría schools attracted attention for the infrastructure they have, and now the government schools are sometimes better. But there is the issue of teachers: it doesn’t matter if there is a good school without good teachers. Parents seek out Fe y Alegría to run their schools.
Is there anything else you want to add?
One important thing is the idea of Fe y Alegría as a movement. It is the only experience of the Church, to my knowledge, working with various religious congregations, and also in several countries. It is an example of how we can work together beyond our differences when we have an important goal.
The difficulty we are experiencing now is that religious communities have increasingly fewer vocations, and nowhere is it recognized the role religious congregations can have in the control of schools, driving development and awareness. Especially the sisters [from the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus] play an important role in education. You go to a school of the sisters and the housekeeping is impressive, something that none of my directors manage to do in their schools. The challenge now is how to train good lay people to do this kind of work.
