“10 years of cooperation with SAIH Norway-Strengthening the teachers and academic qualities at the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua”

Background

The Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua is culturally, politically and geographically parted from the pacific Coast in the country. On a general, the national has ignored the rights and attention for the diverse coastal population consisting of indigenous, ethnic minorities and mestizos. Education has either been ignored or been used as a tool for further colonization, and there has been little governmental effort done to give first language education with an intercultural focus. The autonomous law of 1987 entitles the coastal, among other rights, people their right to define their own education. As part of this regional project, the Autonomous University at the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua since was first initiated in 1995. The University was formed by the Atlantic Coast's men and women themselves with the purpose to supply relevant higher education to indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities in the region. The education was to be based on local needs. SAIH has been cooperating with URACCAN since the beginning with teacher training program, bilingual intercultural education (EIB), strengthening of the Rama and Ulwa peoples culture, implementation of gender mainstreaming at the university, investigation, student democracy, journalist education, and lately also institutional strengthening of the university.

Purpose/objective

The purpose of the evaluation is to identify the professional and academic impact on the Atlantic Coast in the period 1995-2005 as result of the cooperation between URACCAN and SAIH

Methodology

The method used in this evaluation is qualitative as well as quantitative used with different recollection and analysing tools, as:
Project/program document analysis
Narrative report analysis
Analysis of the didactic material produced and used
Depth interview with authorities of URACCAN
Depth interview with graduated students from the program
Interviews with indigenous leaders and leaders from civil society
Interview with autonomic and municipal authorities in the two coastal regions
Focus groups with graduated students from the EIB-programme

Key findings

• The teacher's work has improved and obtains legitimacy due to the creative and active methods used in the program. The majority of the students has graduated and still works in the education sector.
• The revitalization of the Rama and Ulwa people has lead to improvement in the presentation of the culture within the field of museology , but needs strengthening when it comes to the broad participation and initiatives coming from the Rama/Ulwas themselves
• Indigenous peoples at the Atlantic Coast (ex. Miskito and Mayagna) have strengthened their academic capacities and access to higher education. In addition the teacher program has also lead to strengthening of their language, and cultural identity which again has lead to higher efficiency in their professional lives
• The intercultural aspect of education has been strengthened
• The main challenge is the graduation of the Mathematic and natural science teacher specialization
• The student movement has been positively strengthened in the period having support and legitimacy among their peers. Internal communication is strengthened between the students and between students and authorities at the university. Their main challenge is the lack of a common political platform to link their work to the context of autonomy and to the national political context. This is also due to the need for more leadership training
• The institutional capacities has been strengthened in the period, and also the concept of gender as an overall issue for the being of the university, and URACCAN has elaborated a future plan for the further development and strengthening of the academic and institutional aspects, including the focus on gender.
• The investigation skills and publications has been strengthened and increased during the period

Recommendations

• Create post-grades to update the graduated teachers
• Include the Rama and Ulwa people more directly in the elaboration and implementation of the project, give courses in Rama language for preschool and primary teachers
• Strengthening the libraries to have up to date information to be used in investigations
• Continue with the EIB training and the teacher program in maths and Spanish
• Provide leadership training to create an ideological platform for the student movement
• Focus on the plan for future development (Plan Quinquenal 2006-2010) in the further cooperation between URACCAN and SAIH