Berkley Center

Background: As part of the Education and Global Social Justice Project, in June 2011 undergraduate student Codie Kane interviewed Francisco Orellana Lopez, a farmer, store owner, village elder, and environmental advocate in Carasque, Nueva Trinidad, El Salvador. In this interview, Orellana Lopez discusses the impact of education on the community and the current obstacles facing the education system in Carasque.

Describe to me the state of education in your community, Carasque, from your point of view. What are the positive aspects? What are the challenges?

Education in Carasque has changed a lot. Before the war, it was terrible. The professors weren’t from around here. They came temporarily, just for the job. One, in particular, struck me as particularly bad. He was an alcoholic and liked to walk around the town naked! During the war, however, things changed. The community directive was created to help manage the town’s needs. I was part of the first elected body. We formed a health committee, a women’s committee, a church group, etc. Most importantly, we started education services. We began looking for potential teachers who could make up for the lack of state-sponsored schools. Because we had no local certified teachers, we turned to community members. We asked people who could read and write if they would give classes. They agreed, teaching in the morning and working to support their families in the afternoon. They received no payment and had no school building. Classes met outdoors or in nearby homes. Eventually, we constructed a little adobe hut that served as a schoolroom for two teachers.

At about this time, Father Miguel joined the Arcatao parish. He began supporting the teachers in Carasque and in nearby communities engaged in similar popular education efforts. He gave them notebooks and pencils. He helped them with a little bit of food and money so that they were able to get by. He encouraged other community members to join them in their work. On weekends, he organized teacher-training sessions.

It’s important to remember that this was going on during an armed conflict. The teachers couldn’t let their students play in open areas during recess for fear that a plane might fly over and drop a bomb. There was always the danger that an operation might come through and people would begin shooting. I understand how this felt because of my participation in the community directive. We, too, were forced hide from the army. We were considered subversives and thus had to hold our meetings in secret. When we got together, we did so at night by the light of a single candle or with no light at all so that the airplanes overhead could not see us.

Obviously, there’s been a huge advancement in education here since this period. Now, all young people can read and write. Of those who began studying during the war, many have graduated from high school or even college. Many have good jobs in Chalatenango or San Salvador or here, in Carasque.

Nonetheless, there are issues with which we have to contend. The primary problem is economic. The majority of students do not have the money to continue studying after the ninth grade. Many cannot afford to pay the bus fare to the closest high schools in Las Flores or Chalatenango. They make it through one or even two years, but are then forced to stop attending because they no longer have sufficient resources. This is troubling because it means that our citizens cannot compete with other, more educated populations. Today, there are people who don’t just get one but also two or three degrees to better prepare themselves for future jobs. Our students do not even have high school diplomas!

Other issues have to do with young people in general. They’ve made educational conditions hard because they’ve created big problems for the country. One of these problems is drugs. Another is emigration. If people aren’t involved in the drug trade, they’re leaving their families and going north.

How does education here affect the community as a whole?

Educated young people really participate in the community. They are involved in the directive and various committees, sometimes even more so than older people. They have studied so they feel that they can contribute to these organizations.

Improved education, also, has produced a group of professionals in Carasque. One of my sons, Juan, for instance, is a teacher. He teaches sixth and ninth grade in the school here and high school math in Las Flores.

What has been the role of the Church in education here?

Father Miguel was the first from the Church to come to Carasque and has helped us since. He supports the community and the surrounding municipalities both economically and politically. In terms of education, he is a motivating force. He tries to animate students to study. He often speaks about the promise of education in Mass. He runs the Desarollo Hermano Popular scholarship program, providing students with money to attend college.

He also works with young people in general, to help guide them in a positive direction. He has organized youth groups in all the local communities and a larger, regional youth group with a representative from each town. He meets with them to talk about different topics and encourages them to organize and meet among themselves. Denouncing drugs, gangs, and violence, he tries to ensure that they are prepared citizens who do not get involved in bad things.