Education

USAID interventions in Education focus on improving the quality of and access to education. The Education Office supports the Ministry of Education to develop academic standards, testing systems, decentralize education management, and develop alternative education systems. USAID is helping Honduras accomplish the Education for All/Fast Track Initiative goal of: “All children completing elementary school by the year 2015”.

While access to education is improving in Honduras, the country lags behind many other Latin American and Caribbean countries. Despite an increasing elementary school completion rate, Honduras continues to be the country with the lowest secondary school enrollment rate in Latin America. In terms of access to high school education, there are serious inequalities between the rural and urban youth, and between low and moderate income families. USAID is working to address these issues by developing alternative education programs from first through ninth grade and strengthening basic education skills. For more information on the programs, click here: Alternative Education.

The quality of basic education in Honduras remains low relative to international standards. Fewer than 50% of Honduran students can read and write at grade level. Low quality education results in an emerging workforce that is poorly prepared to compete in the global economy, limiting their employment and income capacity. USAID’s education program works with teachers, school supervisors, and community members to implement new educational standards and testing systems. For more information on the programs, click here: Teacher Training.

Honduras’s education sector is centralized under the direction of the National Ministry of Education. The education system has become outdated and inefficient. USAID supports the Ministry of Education in its effort to decentralize education management and strategic planning. For more information on the programs, click here: Reforms in the Education Sector.

The Scholarships for Education and Economic Development Program (SEED Program) is administered by Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development. SEED scholarships provide training to youth and community leaders from economically disadvantaged and historically underserved populations, including women and ethnic/Indigenous groups, to become key protagonists in their countries’ development. Moreover, the Program significantly enhances public diplomacy efforts of the United States government by ensuring that participants learn firsthand about the fundamentals of civil society and free market economy. For more information on the programs, click here: Scholarship Program.