COVID-19: RADIO LESSONS FOR STUDENTS IN GUATEMALA

In Guatemala, the return to school will not take place before 2021. Enfants du monde is supporting the Ministry of Education in the development of educational radio broadcasts.
Livraison de matériel radiophonique à Chimaltenango et Alta Verapa © Ministère de l'Education du GuatemalaDelivery of radio equipment © Guatemalan Ministry of Education

The radio: a channel with national reach

The Guatemalan Ministry of Education has planned to support students’ learning through radio broadcasts in order to ensure the continuity of education in the absence of direct teachers’ supervision. Indeed, the radio has the greatest coverage at the national level and makes it possible to reach children in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged areas of the country, where the majority of households do not have access to the internet or to television. This is particularly the case in Alta Verapaz and Chimaltenango, the two areas where we are intervening in our education program in Guatemala.

Bilingual educational programs

The Guatemalan Ministry of Education has mandated the Bilingual and Intercultural Education Program supported by Enfants du Monde to provide technical sustenance for the development of these radio broadcasts.

Studio radio © Ministère de l'Education du GuatemalaRadio studio © Guatemalan Ministry of EducationA technical team has been formed by the Ministry of Education for the development of bilingual radio broadcasts, in Mayan and Spanish. The team will receive educational support from the trainers of our local partner to determine the content of the different types of broadcasts (readings, activities, etc.). The programs will be recorded for all grades, pre-primary, primary and secondary.
A group of teachers will then be responsible for hosting the radio broadcasts (voiceover, music, etc.).

3 radio studios

The creation of a small radio recording studio was necessary in order to improve the quality of radio broadcasts that are currently being recorded with cell phones.
Our local partner financed and provided equipment (computer equipment, microphones, cables, etc.) in order to be able to set up 3 recording studios in each of our intervention areas in Alta Verapaz, Chimaltenango and Guatemala City.