Cluster Status
Needs
Authorities are working diligently to improve education quality by measuring students' performance in reading, writing, mathematics, and natural sciences. These measurements show that the vast majority of children and adolescents perform at a “low level across all areas and grades. *1 This is associated with both teaching constraints and external factors to school education, which include difficulties in serving rural and Indigenous communities, as well as population mobility. The limited availability of both family and public financial resources continues to pose significant hurdles to institutional response and community resilience.
Response
The Education Cluster to date has implemented activities through 10 organizations and 10 implementing partners across 13 states, 38 municipalities, 88 parishes, 655 schools, and learning centers. These activities have reached 89,754 children and adolescents (50% girls) and 6,999 teachers (86% women).
To ensure enabling conditions and opportunities for children and adolescents to learn and acquire fundamental competencies and skills using alternative learning programs, technical and vocational education and training, and socio-emotional counselling: 53,678 children and adolescents were reached via a variety of non-formal education modalities and typologies in alternative education programs (50% girls or young women). Four percent participated in vocational-technical-professional education and training programs, 91%in social-emotional learning programs and five percent in alternative education programs.
A highlight was the implementation of socioemotional counselling workshops for special education teachers in the municipalities of Casacoima and Tucupita in Delta Amacuro state in April, organized by partners Fe y Alegría and EducAcción. Over 60% of the state's special education teachers participated in this activity. Professionals who work in educational institutions that serve people with different types of disabilities (hearing, visual, autism, motor, etc.) took part. The remaining teachers will be incorporated in a second phase.
Contribute to the improvement of teaching conditions to enable teachers to provide quality education: Training activities for teachers and staff were promoted, reaching 6,999 people (86% women). 392 Indigenous teachers were reached in the states of Amazonas, Bolívar, Delta Amacuro, Distrito Capital, Miranda, Sucre, Táchira and Zulia.
Contribute to ensure access to safe and equipped schools with material conditions to improve the quality of education and learning outcomes for the children and adolescents most affected by the crisis: 40,896 children and school personnel (51% girls, young women or women) were reached through learning materials and equipment, particularly in Amazonas, Apure, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro, Sucre, Táchira and Zulia.
Gaps
Funding earmarked for improving the quality of education is still limited. The resources allocated for teachers fail to solve teacher shortages and the precarious conditions where the teaching takes place impact the school system negatively. Educational institutions located in remote, border and/or rural areas are more vulnerable than those found in the urban areas throughout the country.
- - - Education Cluster Note:
*89,754 children and adolescents and 6,999 teachers and educational staff had been reached by the end of April 2024. Children and adolescents were reported as non-recurrent in the 5W until April 2024 in school feeding activities, distribution of kits or socioemotional learning activities, accelerated education, remedial education, reinforcement, accompaniment, and reintegration to school or flexible educational activities focused on life skills. The number of children and adolescents who benefited was calculated by considering the activity with the highest number of non-recurrent beneficiaries per school. Similarly, the number of teachers and educational staff was calculated using the figures reported as non-recurrent from the 5W until April 2024 taking the maximum number between the sum of the teaching and educational personnel trained with the recipients of different incentives offered to teachers but excluding the distribution of hot meals to teachers.
*1 According to the document "Reflections in the framework of the Educational Quality Measurement Processes towards the ERCE 2025" published by the Venezuelan Educational Quality Observatory in April 2024.