Development Fund for Education

Results achieved as of end of project (May 2012) include: I - Support to pre-school and elementary education: implementation of 7 041 children's libraries for pre-school level monolingual schools throughout the country; provision of teaching and recreational materials for 9 013 monolingual schools in all regions of the country providing services to pre-school level children; provision of 60 000 textbooks for boys and girls from preparatory course to the sixth grade (pilot project in the departments of Guatemala Jalapa Quiche and Huehuetenango). II - Support for strengthening institutional capacity in the education sector: development of the Ministry of Education's Common Multiannual Workplan and Administrative Manual; analysis and circulation of educational indicators with the central and departmental directive offices to facilitate consensus and coordination of their efforts towards common goals and objectives. These activities have resulted in an improvement in the quality of education in Guatemala. In last year of the project activities were re-oriented towards improving food security and nutrition in support of the Government’s Nutritional Food Security Strategy. Selected primary and secondary schools were equipped with kitchens; and parents responsible for administering school feeding in 435 schools were trained in food preparation good nutrition and hygiene. These activities contributed to increasing access to nutritious food for children in 4 290 schools located in municipalities with high food insecurity.