A Discussion with Maribel Aleman de Alas, Teacher, Nueva Trinidad, El Salvador

With: Maribel Aleman de Alas Berkley Center Profile

July 2, 2011

Background: As part of the Education and Global Social Justice Project, in July 2011 undergraduate student Codie Kane interviewed Maribel Aleman de Alas, a school teacher in Nueva Trinidad, El Salvador, who began teaching in a refugee camp in Honduras. In this interview, Aleman de Alas discusses the challenges and successes of the growing education system in Nueva Trinidad, along with the role of the parish in supporting education.

Tell me about your experience as a teacher and community member. How did you arrive at your present career?

I started teaching in Mesa Grande, a camp in Honduras for Salvadorian refugees. My family had moved there to escape the war in El Salvador. In the camp, there were no schools and few teachers. Children were growing up illiterate. I had only gotten up to third grade, but I decided that I could use what little knowledge I had to help. I taught preschool and first grade. I held classes under the trees, with the students sitting on rocks. I kept studying at the same time and got up to sixth grade before we moved back to Nueva Trinidad. Here, I got my high school degree. My education, along with that of the other popular teachers, was coordinated by Father Manolo and Father Nicolas from the parish of Arcatao. They convinced professors from the University of San Salvador to come to the Chalatenango region to teach us. This was significant, because it occurred during the war. They risked their lives to help us, and we risked our lives to study. On the path I had to take to get to class, for instance, there were soldiers everywhere.

After the conflict was over, I got my university degree from a similar University of San Salvador program that operated out of Guadjia, a nearby town. This meant that the other popular teachers and I were fully trained, yet still unrecognized by the state. Even though we had studied and worked for years, they didn’t want to accept us. They called us ghost teachers. It wasn’t until 2000 that we entered the state system through the [Education with Participation of the Community] program. Only a portion was permitted to enter at first. There was only one teacher, in fact, from Nueva Trinidad that was given an official position. The rest of us continued to give classes, but without real pay. Eventually, we were all admitted. It was a hard fight, but at least we have an official status.

Now, I teach preschool and first grade in the morning and fifth and sixth grade in the afternoon. The classrooms are combined. My schedule is exhausting. I have to do lesson plans and grading in the early morning, at night, or on weekends because I have no other time. Also, since I’m a professional, the community demands a lot of me. They look to me as a model. So apart from my regular work, I participate in a lot of community activities and organizations. Before, I was director of the school. Now, I teach parent education classes, and I’m on the community administration board. My sister came over today to help me clean the house because I just don’t have time myself.

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

Right now, the school in Nueva Trinidad offers preschool through ninth grade and two years of high school. The high school was just added. There are six teachers—three for preschool through ninth and three for high school. We always had five, but we were finally able to get the Ministry of Education to agree to open a position for someone else this year.

In terms of educational achievements, I think it’s important to note that more people here are literate than ever before. The students who attend school here are recognized by the government and receive official diplomas.

The addition of the high school has been helpful. Before, students had to travel to Las Flores after ninth grade. Families here just don’t have the resources to facilitate that—they can’t pay for transportation every day. Now, they no longer have to. At the same time, however, we face multiple obstacles. Though we have the appropriate facilities, we lack resources essential to the high school’s success. In particular, we need staff. We were promised more teachers, but this never came through. We asked the government to open six new teacher positions, but they only opened one. To compensate for this, our current teachers are working both in the morning and in the afternoon. They now have two shifts, but most are only getting paid for one. Additionally, none of them are specialists. In high school, you need different teachers for math, chemistry, English. All of our staff is trained only in basic education.

In the school as a whole, we need more teachers, resources, and money. The Ministry of Education gives us a voucher to spend on school needs, but it’s not enough. It doesn’t begin to cover all that we require. It is spent, in part, on school supplies for the students, for example. It must go to this, because parents here can’t afford to buy them for their children. It doesn’t even amount to enough to pay for sufficient materials for each student, however!

Another challenge in our education system is the integration of grades. The Ministry of Education asks for quality, but we can’t provide it if there are two or three grades in the same classroom. Teachers can’t prepare well for that many different classes. They can’t attend to that many groups at once. While they’re explaining things to one group of students, the others are left to do nothing. All schools in the municipality share this problem, because the government says that there has to be 25 to 30 students to merit one teacher position, yet the population here is small. It’s not that we don’t have trained professors, then, it’s that the government won’t give them positions.

Those who are suffering from this are the students. They’re leaving here unprepared. When they get to university, they’re not on the same level as others.

What does education here need, then, to progress further?

We need more teachers. We can make do with the little resources we have. Before, during the war and immediately after, we didn’t have resources either. But we made it work. It’s the human resources that we can’t compensate for.

Despite this, it seems that education in Nueva Trinidad has progressed significantly in the past few years. How has this affected the community as a whole?

There’s been a big advance since we began working as popular teachers so many years ago. The students we had in preschool now make up a growing population of high school and of college graduates. Many are professionals. They live in Nueva Trinidad and work as lawyers, nurses, engineers, or painters.

Nevertheless, the community still hasn’t developed significantly because of the lack of employment opportunities here. Getting a job is very hard. Many university graduates are currently unemployed. For example, there are trained teachers here, as I mentioned before, but there are no teaching positions. Because of this, at an economic level, we really haven’t seen much progress. It’s frustrating, after so many struggles, to not be able to find work.

What has been the role of the parish and the church in education here?

The parish was the initiator of education here. They trained and supported the popular teachers. Now, they continue supporting students. They give out scholarships, for example, under the Desarollo Hermano Popular Program. This has enabled many kids from Nueva Trinidad to go to San Salvador and study. It faces obstacles, however, because of the high demand for financial aid here. Almost every student needs help, but funds are limited.

What’s the future of education here? What’s your idea of an ideal future?

Ideally, I want students to leave here strong and prepared. I want them to be able to envision a great future for themselves, one in which they’ll help the community. I think the key to this is strengthening the high school. It has the facilities; it just needs more help. I think that if we are able to get teachers with specialized degrees, it will improve significantly.

How has your experience of popular education impacted you? Has your time as a popular teacher impacted your views on education and your current teaching methods?

My teaching methods are based on popular education, in that they are based on my desire to impart what little knowledge I have. My curriculum is adapted to the community environment. I use what the students already know as a starting point, and go from there. I use the resources around me. I often have the students who are doing well tutor those who need assistance, for example. I ask, “Who’s finished with the work? Who needs help?” Through this, everyone learns.

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