Honduras

The Honduran education system faces several challenges in the twenty-first century. For much of the twentieth century, Honduran students were required to memorize useless or impractical data at the expense of sharpening their reasoning powers and critical thinking skills. To address this issue, educators must update the curriculum and conduct better assessment of student performance. Teacher training and the selection and hiring of teaching professionals are other crucial needs facing significant obstacles. Teachers are paid low wages, they do not have access to effective instructional materials, and their training often does not include the latest technologies and current teaching methods. In addition, there is a scarcity of teachers and many parents prefer to send their children to private schools to gain social status.

Hondurans must also contend with the more immediate and practical difficulties that arose in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. The Education Ministry building was flooded, and computers and school records were destroyed. Classes were cancelled for more than three months, and one-fourth of all Honduran schools were lost. Teachers spent their time distributing medicine, working as census takers, and cleaning the streets. Building new schools will remain a high priority for the Honduran education system for some time, and both teachers and students will have to adjust to the new challenges posed by starting over.