Ecuador - Secondary Education

In the 1960s the secondary curriculum was made up of general studies, Spanish, foreign languages, mathematics, natural sciences, physical sciences, history, geography, physical education, and applied electives such as agriculture, business, artisan skills, and music. Military training was included in some schools in the sixth year. In the 1970s there were nine types of secondary schools in Ecuador. There were the traditional, university preparatory schools, such as Colegio de Humanidades Modernas and Colegio de Huanidades Clasicas. There were also business or commercial schools, normal schools, fine arts schools, music schools, manual arts schools for boys, manual arts schools for girls, and agricultural and animal husbandry schools. The large number of subjects as well as the long class day prevented most students from fulfilling any portion of the disciplines of the program. The rampant child labor abuse among the poor also caused students to drop out. Students began their day no later than 8:00 a.m. They were dismissed at noon and returned home for lunch. The lunchtime usually lasted from two to two and a half hours. Most schools followed lunch with an afternoon session that lasted two to three hours.