Edith Ariasa 50-year-old Guatemalan, found in a scholarship program from the Ministry of Economy an opportunity to promote your venture selling artisanal chocolate abroad. Classes began in 2022, but since March 2023, the call for new courses has been postponed.
“It was a fairly complete and free program, with four hours of learning per day. I reached level A2, but no new course was announced to advance to levels B1 and B2. Even in March 2023, we signed a letter of commitment to start the next course, but we only received excuses regarding its start in April, and so on, it continued to be postponed”says Arias.
The evolution of the student’s career and competitiveness in the labor market is determined by the level at which he or she is located. Scholarship programs in Guatemala are within an international classification that implies the levels of: A0, beginner; A1-A2, basic; A2-B1: pre-intermediate; B1, Intermediate; B2, Intermediate-High; C1-C2, advanced.
For Arias, reaching the A2 level allowed him to communicate better in English, especially to sell his product. Therefore, she is waiting for a new call this year that will allow her to continue her studies and find new opportunities.
Luisa Cruz, 22 years old, daughter of Edith, also began learning English in 2022 through the same scholarship program, with the aim of applying for a job in a call center and growing professionally. However, she, like her mother, was waiting to continue with the next levels.
Along with Edith and Luisa, 36 other students wish to continue with the program. Some have decided to do it with their own financial means. The challenge they face is that, without proper monitoring, the rest might be left behind in the first phase of the process.
“For a person to master English, an estimated 1,000 hours of continuous training are required. It must be remembered that the scholarship fund is an instrument to strengthen the attraction of investments in sectors with high potential for more well-paid jobs,” he says. Ligia Chinchilla, coordinator of the Human Capital table in Guatemala No Se Detiene. Chinchilla suggests that standardizing the regulations of the executing units (Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economy) would be the most viable option to continue with the increase in bilingual Guatemalans so that, in six years, the country can employ 100,000 young people.
early learning
According to International Education (EF) indicators in the English Proficiency Index for the year 2023, with data from 2.2 million participants in 113 countriesGuatemala ranks number 53, which represents a medium to medium-low level.
The cases of Arias and Cruz exemplify a fundamental reality for those who prepare for a better work future: it is not only access to quality scholarships, but also ensure that students complete the programs and are competitive.
As Chinchilla indicates, the executing units in the government must use “scholarships from beginning to end” in the language learning process, with a strategy that integrates all actors and allies capable of providing complementary resources. to train, manage and monitor.
Karin Rossbach, director of the English School at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, points out that continuity is crucial to reach a level of fluency high enough for Guatemalans to demonstrate competitiveness in the labor market.
“When we learn a foreign language, as with mathematics, we need constant practice to establish the codes of the language and develop communication skills to be competent in the professional and academic field”, explica Rossbach.
Rossbach suggests promoting interest in learning English as a means of improving personal, academic and professional development, and points out that it is in early childhood when the language is adopted naturally and with less effort, mainly because this stage of cognitive development favors the learning and use of communication skills.
“Until people value the importance of English and develop the discipline to manage their learning, we will begin to grow exponentially in the human development of many Guatemalans,” adds Rossbach.
National English Strategy
For many professionals, a below-average level of English represents a significant obstacle in their career progression, especially when they need to interact with international teams.
Verónica Spross, director of Entrepreneurs for Education, emphasizes the importance of implementing a national English strategy that begins in the early school years, covering pre-primary and primary school. It emphasizes that English is one of the most crucial competencies and skills to access jobs globally and obtain opportunities that offer salaries above the minimum.
However, another major challenge in Guatemala is that the educational system postpones the study of English until fifth grade, when students are expected to acquire a certain level of communicative competence.
“Currently, Guatemala faces a deficit of between 10,000 and 15,000 jobs annually that are not filled due to the shortage of people with an advanced level of English. It is crucial to have greater specialization and achieve a higher level of English, and this requires strategies such as scholarships that offer intensive or in-depth training that develops skills in a few months,” says Spross.
The International Education Index suggests that English scholarship programs provide a significant boost to professionals with basic learning abilityfacilitating their job promotion, the acquisition of international clients for ventures, and even the possibility of accessing remote job positions in foreign companies.
Spross warns that the strategy must consider both private and public educational institutions, highlighting that 50% of basic level students and 80% of diversified level students are served by the private sector. It is essential to include both sectors and promote teaching professionalization programs for English teachers. For example, The Ministry of Education has nearly a thousand teachers assigned to teach English who need to improve their command of the language.
“In addition, it is vital to incorporate technology, since there are various digital resources to enhance English learning. Alliances with other entities, such as Intecap and various academies, They are key to increasing the number of bilingual professionals in the country. We must not forget the importance of carrying out evaluations that determine the level of both students and teachers,” highlights Spross.
Scholarship management
Currently, in Guatemala, two types of English scholarships are granted by the State: those offered by the Ministry of Education, intended for students, and those offered by the Ministry of Economy, to which any Guatemalan citizen willing to learn can apply.
On March 19, the Ministry of Education published a new call for English scholarships aimed at students of the basic and diversified cyclewhich will end on April 12, 2024. 20 thousand English scholarships have been planned for the school and extracurricular systems.
The scholarships aimed at the rest of Guatemalans are still pending. These scholarships include the cost of training (Intecap or private providers: IGA and CIAV), cost of the device, cost of airtime and a stipend.
David de León, director of Social Communication of the Ministry of Education, indicates that there is coordination between both ministries to ensure that the scholarships are executed in accordance with the powers of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Economy, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance Public. “The funds will not be lost, since the programming and execution of the scholarships has been managed between the two portfolios since February 2024”adds De León.
Elizabeth Ugalde, vice minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (MSME) of the Ministry of Economy, explains that the scholarship fund for the fiscal period of 2024 was regulated through Decree number 54-2022 of the Congress of the Republic, where Q70 million were allocated to the Ministry of Economy for learning English and nursing. However, the short-term plan is to transfer the amount to the Ministry of Education.
“Currently, this process is being carried out and very soon the fund will be transferred in its entirety. The budget modification for the return of the fund was approved by the Ministry of Economy and will be transferred to the Ministry of Public Finance”, adds Ugalde.
In the short term, it is necessary that the scholarships, which Mineco should have called, be transferred and execute the call as soon as possible so as not to lose track of the students who started in 2022 and 2023. In the long term, A serious bilingual education strategy is required at the national level, that is more aggressive in the early stages of the student, to address and reverse the country’s lag in international indicators and the talent gap.
How to apply for the Mineduc 2024 English scholarships
The first requirement to apply is to be a basic or diversified cycle student in Guatemala.
People who meet this condition will be able to access a registration form through this link
This form must be filled out by the directors of educational centers that support the initiative of their students and are committed to providing them with the necessary conditions for their studies. Registration for the English scholarships will be available until April 12 of this year.
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