Seventy-nine percent of Nicaraguan children do not have reading proficiency by the end of primary school, states a report by the World Bank (WB) and UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics. This figure places Nicaragua’s learning poverty as “unacceptably high,” according to these specialized organizations.
The number of children lacking reading comprehension is 27% higher than the average across Latin America and the Caribbean and 18% higher than the average for low- and middle-income countries, including those in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This makes Nicaragua one of the countries with the worst learning deficiencies.
Learning poverty is defined as the inability to read and understand a brief text suitable for a 10-year-old. This skill is essential as it is a requirement for all other educational areas. Therefore, reading comprehension can also serve as an indicator of learning in other subjects, according to the WB and UNESCO.
“Inability to read limits learning in all subjects, including math and science. While all 10-year-olds can be taught to become competent readers, many education systems in low- and middle-income countries—and even some high-income ones—lack a real focus to ensure all children learn to read with comprehension,” the report emphasizes.
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Furthermore, 78% of students experience severe learning deprivation by the end of primary school. This aspect of learning poverty reflects the percentage of students who do not meet the global Minimum Competency Level (MCL) in reading, indicating they lack essential foundational knowledge in this area.
Education in Nicaragua has regressed under the Ortega regime
Nicaragua has seen a decline in educational quality and access over recent years, with the dismissal of teachers critical of the Ortega-Murillo regime, politicization in education, and the closure and confiscation of educational institutions, says Ana Quirós from the Center for Information and Health Advisory Services (CISAS).
“We’re in a digital age where artificial intelligence is being discussed. Now, more than ever, a country’s competitiveness relies on its population’s academic level and technological abilities, but Nicaragua doesn’t even have reading comprehension skills. Nicaragua has not advanced; it has regressed,” asserts Quirós.
The human rights advocate notes that while Nicaragua’s education was already deficient before the onset of the sociopolitical crisis, the country’s educational situation has since deteriorated further.
Teachers chosen for party loyalty, not academic skills
For instance, teacher selection processes are reportedly based more on loyalty to the ruling party than on academic training and experience, according to teachers’ accounts. Additionally, the public budget, which should fund teacher training and development, is instead used for partisan activities.
“Teachers are valued more for attending a march than for attending a training session. They’re told to teach about Sandino and the Sandinista Front instead of sciences. This is just another way to ruin education in Nicaragua,” explains Quirós.
There are also no significant investments from the Ministry of Education (MINED) to update school programs or improve technological training. According to Quirós, Nicaragua still teaches the same content using the same techniques from a decade ago.
Syllabi have seen minimal changes in recent years and are significantly outdated compared to the requirements of higher education institutions, at least in other countries, as Nicaragua lacks independent universities.
According to the UNESCO report, annual spending on primary education is $858 per child, 69% less than the average in Latin America and the Caribbean. This makes Nicaragua one of the countries that invests the least in basic education in the region.
Hundreds of students are recognized for academic excellence, but few understand what they read
During school parades celebrating the country’s independence, hundreds of students nationwide were awarded “academic excellence” by Nicaraguan education authorities. However, this recognition does not reflect their analytical, problem-solving, research, and reasoning abilities—skills necessary for optimal learning, Quirós states.
Learning poverty is also a consequence of policies in public schools mandating students’ automatic promotion, regardless of their educational knowledge or grades on evaluations. This policy has been imposed by the Ministry of Education for both primary and secondary schools.
“Learning poverty results from the misguided decision to assume that automatically promoting all students will improve learning outcomes. Improving learning requires investment in education, not repression,” says Quirós.
Public universities have also stopped requiring exams that assess a minimum understanding of reading comprehension and mathematics. This change likely stems from the Ortega-Murillo regime’s awareness that high school graduates lack these academic skills, says CISAS’s director.
University admission is now determined through an aptitude test, high school grades, and a psychometric test in engineering cases. However, political favoritism from university authorities is also required for admission.
Regime has halted national school evaluations
The frequency of national academic evaluations has also dropped significantly in recent years. The last evaluation Nicaragua participated in was in 2019 in the Latin American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education (LLECE), according to the report.
The last National Large-Scale Assessment (NLSA) conducted in Nicaragua for primary schools was in 2015, almost a decade ago.
Quirós argues that the regime’s decision to stop evaluations is deliberate, as the Ministry of Education is aware that Nicaraguan students do not meet the minimum required competencies for their grade levels.
These evaluations are essential because they determine whether the state is meeting educational goals, whether syllabi are effective, and whether children have the necessary educational skills.
“The decision to stop evaluations is deliberate on the part of the government because they know their educational system is deficient. They know that their policies are contributing to what UNESCO calls educational poverty,” she concludes.