Historically, many students do not transition to middle school and student attendance drops when elementary school ends with the 6th grade in Guatemala. TINFA’s programs result in more students continuing their educational careers (link: see our 2021 Results). Pre-COVID, TINFA organized parent conferences and middle school visits for the 6th graders to encourage middle school attendance. After a 2-year break due to COVID, we are excited to announce that both activities have resumed!
School Pajoc in Olintepeque was the first school to organize a 6th grade parent conference. This was a very interactive meeting full of parents sharing their hopes for their children and students sharing their dreams for their futures. Three middle school directors attended from the surrounding public and cooperative schools. They each talked about their schools, giving parents information about their locations, costs, registration process, and expectations.
While most families want their children to continue their education, these conferences are very helpful for nudging those who are on the fence about middle school. One piece of information that helps convince parents is the correlation between the number of years of education and the average salary.
For the first time, the Ministry of Education of two districts are partnering with TINFA to be actively involved with the conferences this year. This is an exciting indication of sustainability for TINFA. The Ministry of Education from El Cantel has also committed to continue parent conferences in the other 20 schools in their district who are not partnered with TINFA.
Stay tuned for next week’s blog as we resume the middle school visits with our 6th graders!