Education, Society and Culture
Seminar. Helsinki, May of 2011
The intraculturality in Bolivia’s
education system: an historic process
By ADAN PARI
Summary
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The intraculturality in Bolivian education: historic process
and national education alternative proposed by indigenous
people.
The educational task of the future generations means a great
concern for fathers, mothers, and Governments and States.
However the educational process, the form of organization,
curriculum are full of controversies, difficulties and discussion. In
this context, education for indigenous and into the indigenous
territories of Bolivia has a long historic process of construction
and in a more exciting way in recent years in Bolivia and Region.
At the time, the Bolivian education is strongly supported by the
intraculturality concept, which means re-signifying and redefinition
of the education process, contents and educational results, which
involves indigenous peoples and their organizations, within the
framework of national and international legal documents and
Declarations of recognition and respect as Nations and social
entities within the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
This is Bolivia
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36 indigenous nations;
distributed mainly 3 in the
Andean area and 33 in the
Amazon area.
According Census 2001:
62% of the population is
indigenous, from 9 million.
30,7 % is quechua; 25,2%
aimara; 2,2% chiquitano;
1,6% guaraní and
Amazonians.
Indigenous population in
principal urban cities: La Paz
42,8%, Cochabamba 53,2%,
Potosí 52,4%, Oruro 47%,
Chuquisaca 47%.
Some pictures from Bolivia
Indigenous population access to
regular and official education I
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Self initiatives (1.920): ambulant schools at the beginning
of the 20th century, promoted by the indigenous leaders.
The only objective was to teach the Spanish alphabet.
Ayllu School of Warisata emerged with indigenous effort,
in the rural areas of some departments of Bolivia, during
the 30th decade. Aymara, and quechua indigenous
leaders were the main managers. They based the
curricula in their own knowledge and their tongue. Other
backgrounds of this school were productivity, participation
and freedom.
Another initiative was the Bilingual Education promoted
by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). The main
effort of the SIL were to research and establish
language’s alphabets and produce written materials. But
the real intention were to Christianize indigenous people.
Indigenous population access to
regular and official education II
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Finally in this summary I must say that the state and the
government promoted the Education Reform in rural areas
in 1.955, denying again the existence of indigenous people;
so, was colonizadora, homogeneizante, castellanizante.
After that period came a number of bilingual education
projects but without any relevance for the demands of
indigenous people. Promoted by International organisms,
and NGO’s like PEIA, PER I-II, P-TRB, the emphasis was
to do children bilinguals in a transition model, begin
teaching the mother tongue to transit to Spanish language.
So, the education and their own model of life, thinking and
culture were systematically denied during the Spanish
colonization and by the governments during the republic
period of Bolivia.
Organizations and social
mobilization for IBE
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In the context explained before , during all that period emerged leaders
and indigenous mobilizations with Tomás Katari, Tupac Katari,
Bartolina Sisa, Apiguayki Tupa and others in the decade of 1880.
Recently the most important was “The march for the Territory and
Dignity “ that took place in 1990, where Amazonian and Andean
indigenous get together after centuries of disaggregation. So the
participation of the society get important.
Simultaneously, in the decade of 90th became a period of legal
reforms. At least the Constitution of Bolivia (1994) recognized
indigenous people as different cultures and different languages valid
for social relations and education (Education Reform of 1994). So was
established the IBE for all the Education System.
In the same way where created The Educational Councils for
Indigenous Nations” like Aymara, Quechua, Guarani and Multiethnic.
However these good context the intention of the recognition and the
implementation of IBE was entirely educative, just to improve
educational indicators and to improve relationship with indigenous
organizations. The mobilizations continued in order to demand access
to power, ancestral territories and to manage of natural resources.
Legal reforms for indigenous
access to power and IIPEducation
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After centuries and decades of mobilization, demanding
recognition, respectful, valuation and interaction as equals
something good occurred.
Universal Declaration of human rights (1948) Art. 2 "everybody
has all rights and all freedom" “without distinction of raze, color,
sex, language, religion, politic opinion or other, national or social
origin, economic position, born or any other condition"
Ratification Law No 1257 of the 169 Convention of IWO, about
indigenous people an tribes.
Universal Declaration about Linguistics Rights of the indigenous
people (1996)
Indigenous People Rights Law based on the UNO Declaration
(2007.
New Plurinational Politic Constitution of Bolivia Sate (2009)
Avelino Siñani and Elizardo Pérez Education Law No. 70.
Development National Plan: under the concept of “Vivir bien”
A continental indigenous mobilization; the big background..
The meaning of Vivir Bien into
social, economic policies
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Means the recognition and valuation of manners of thinking, living
and doing things according of cultures and indigenous nations.
Different concept of development, based in the nature and human
harmonious and respectful relationship and the sense of preserve
for future generations. The Nandereko for Guaranies means a
perfect reciprocity, and complementation between humans and
nature which can be find at “Tierra sin mal” territory.
Another important action into the concept of Vivir Bien is the
defense of the Mother Earth (Madre Tierra); we consider she is
human and woman, and so, she can have rights as humans.
Indigenous people say that we have to stop “excessive
consumption and over exploitation of the natural resources and
humans, because we are slaves of the time, technology and of the
money, which is destroying our families, communities and morality
Intraculturality and Vivir Bien into
Constitución and Education Law
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“ Education is intracultural, intercultural and plurilingual (EIIP)
because links the Plurinacional Education System (SEP) into the
empowering of knowledge and languages of the indigenous
nations”.
One of the purpose is “to develop the intraculturality, interculturality
and the plurilinguism for the complete and integrated education of
Bolivians and the conformation of a harmonious society”
One of the goals is to “promote the respect of the human rights of
children, adolescents, men, women and matures in all levels and
ambits of the Bolivian education”
“Universalize the indigenous knowledge for the education
development since the different culture’s identities”
As a summary, the Bolivian education restarts with a new
methodology and concepts since the intraculturality, with a stronger
charge of decolonization, to empower the indigenous nations, and
then rebuilt the intercultural bolivianity between equals, avoiding
economic, social and cultural differences.
Facts or concretion of the
intraculturality in Education I
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Main role of parents, indigenous and social organizations into
education. Being authorities and managers at different levels.
A sense of community education; go out of schools buildings and
learn since our culture.
Valuating grand parents, mothers and people that know about
different subjects and can teach children into school.
Indigenous ancestral knowledge into the school curriculum at all
levels. Creation of Indigenous University with indigenous teachers
and curriculum
A new manner of organization the education structure.
Development of indigenous knowledge research to rebuilt some of
them in order to introduce into school curriculum.
Schools management with local manners and structures.
Facts or concretion of the
intraculturality in Education II
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The IIPE will be implemented in all the Plurinational Education
System, is not never only for indigenous.
Reorganize and establish new strategies and methodologies for
the teachers training and teachers preparation before going into
schools.
Elaborate the national, basic curriculum and elaborate on of local
curriculums for each indigenous nation, articulating between them.
Define new methodologies according manners of teaching of our
parents and grand parents.
Research processes of indigenous languages, to establish the
alphabets, to standardize the written language, dictionaries,
grammars and other teaching instruments.
Prepare different type of materials in indigenous languages and
Spanish to promote the plurilinguism.
Recognize and reestablish indigenous organizations and parent
role into education of their children.
Pachi
tukuyniykichikta
Many thanks to
everybody