Education Limitations In Guatemala

By Roger Marriott, Mission Co-worker, Presbyterian Church (USA)

Gloria and I work with indigenous recipients of a fund that is to be used for education. Our friends are poorly educated and the money is difficult for them to properly manage. Gloria designed a series of courses to assist in this endeavor.

We have learned that an unexpected consequence of education too often is disillusionment. After being encouraged to learn more of the marvels of God’s creation some viewed their present circumstances as too limited but avenues open to the privileged were closed to them. Education only increased their pain making them aware of what they were missing but could not get. Some indigenous who fought beyond their disillusionment and did secure a middle school or high school education might be able to find a poorly paying job as a teacher or if particularly fortunate a job with an NGO. These jobs however are contractual, usually for periods of only 2-3 months, and pay none of the legally mandated benefits. One of the first classes we scheduled was in San Juan Ixcoy about 8 hours distant from Guatemala City. Gloria had prepared for 22 students but only 4 arrived. Money for travel was not available and most could not attend. Dealing with this reality has been one of our greatest challenges.

“I’ve only got a 2nd grade education. My son, Baudilio, has only finished the 5th grade. Can you do something to help us get an education? We want to learn but how can we?”

Gloria and I were closing one of our workshops in money management/record keeping when Pascual Flores, a 52-year-old farmer near the Ixcán area of northwestern Guatemala, blurted out the question. We close our classes with a time of general conversation about anything anyone wishes to discuss. Usually it is about our lives in the U.S. and frequently, a solicitation for a job or information about how to get to the U.S. in order to find one. “My crops are poor, the price for corn is falling, my family is suffering and I must do something,” he continued. We receive variations of this plea wherever we go. I never know how to answer adequately and, as usual, I mumbled something about the difficulty of getting visas and the dangers of traveling illegally— neither of which addressed his plaintive question.