EDUCATION IN ECUADOR

An overview of the situationthroughout the time

By Luis Fernando SantosOctober 10, 2016

For decades the education system in Ecuador has been stuck1.

From the 70’s to the mid 90’s the situation has had few progress,

especially in the decade of 90’s1.

Important changes occurred in 1996 and 2007 and on2. Now, the Education until the High-school level is mandatory for

everyone, and it is financially supported by the government (free-of-charge) until tertiary level3

In Ecuador, 75% of the educative institutions are public4

Evolution and Historical facts

Public institutions; 75%

Private Institutions; 15%

Other; 10%

Coverage of the Public Educational Institutions in Ecuador (2014)

Public institutions Private Institutions OtherSource: Statistics Institution of Ecuador (INEC), Report of Ministry of Education - 2015 Own elaboration

Levels of Education in Ecuador5

Early Childhood Education• 3-5 years old• 2 years of study

Basic Education• 5-14 years old• 10 years of

education

High-School• From 14 years old• 3 years of study

Higher Education• 4,5,6 years

Source: Law of Education of Ecuador, 2011. art 37 Own elaboration

Types of Education (Art. 38 LOEI)

Formal

Non Formal

Source: Law of Education of Ecuador, 2011. art 37 Own elaboration

Types of Educative institutions in Ecuador:

Types of Institutio

ns

Public

Municipal

Private

Mixed Finance

d

Source: Law of Education of Ecuador, 2011. art. 19Own elaboration

Weaknesses and Strengths

EDUCATION IN ECUADOR

Weaknesses Weak and deficient educative policies until 20072.

Weak application of Pedagogical methods and techniques1.

Obsolete Educational Curriculum until 19961.

High rates of illiteracy6.

Poor quality of Education: Low academic performance in Mathematics and Language7,10.

Deficient public budget for infrastructure, school equipment, and teacher’s salary6.

Weak research processes and minimal scientific production8,9.

Weak system of evaluation of the Education Quality9

Higher Education offer based on ‘Market’ interests rather than real society needs9.

Low quality of Rural Education10.

Teachers with weak professional training and low academic degrees8,10.

A remarkable improvement of the Educational System from 2008 and a positive increasing

tendency2.

From 2008, a vigorous evaluation system of the Educational quality has been

implemented in all levels2.

Strong Educational Policies, plans, programs2,10.

Public (Free-of-charge) Education in all levels3.

Universal access to the Educational system for all the population. Inclusive education3

Better attempts for linking the Education system with the needs of the society2,9.

Better indicator-rates in the respect of illiteracy rates, school attending, Educational

coverage4,10.

Strengths

Better results in the evaluations of academic performance of the Basic Education in the

subjects of Mathematics and Language10,7.

Increasing population of teachers with higher academic levels/degrees8.

Increment of budget for investment in Education: increasing teacher’s salaries, and

improvement of infrastructure and school-equipment4,8,13.

Outstanding increment of the students’ enrollment in the secondary education, from

71% in 1999 to 85% in 2012, along with countries such as: China, Afghanistan, Mali,

Morocco. The increasing is of 25 perceptual points(UNESCO, 2015)11

Strengths

Curriculum and Teaching Methodology: A brief overview

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CURRICULUM IN ECUADOR THROUGHOUT THE TIME

Before 1996

Curriculum 1996-2006

Curriculum 2010-2011

Curriculum 2016

REMARCABLE FACTS-MILESTONES

Old-traditional Curriculum

Curricular reform 1996

Updated Curriculum process New curriculum

PARADIGMS AND THEORIES

-Tradictional methods -Constructivism - Criticic Pedagogy -Cultural Contextualized C.

-Behaviorism-Conductism -Critic Pedagogy - Incorporates environmentalism focus

-General National Plan-connected

CONTENT CHARACTERISTICS AND CHANGES

-Memorization

&repetition-based T.

-Theoretical rather than practical

-Emphasis on students ' discipline through mistreatment

-Based on content rather than aptitudes/skills

Teaching/teacher focus-centered

-Reflection based

-Focus on Practice

-Focus on student's affection

-Focus on skills development rather than content

-Students/learning focus-centered

-Incorporates human/children right's focus

-Emphasize on application of IT's

-Focus on a complete evaluation system

-Propose mechanisms for connection among Education levels

-Implement the conception of "unification" rather than "specialization" in high-school Education

-Improve parameters for the evaluation system

-Improve parameters for connection between Education levels

-Improve parameters for the connection: School - Society

-Reinforce parameters for skills development.

-Propose the concept of Flexibility

Source: 12Ministry of Education, Curriculum 2016; Araujo, M.D. y Bramwell, D 2015Own elaboration

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CURRICULUM IN ECUADOR THROUGHOUT THE TIME

  Before 1996Curriculum 1996-

2006Curriculum 2010-

2011 Curriculum 2016REMARCABLE FACTS-MILESTONES

Old-traditional Curriculum

Curricular reform 1996

Updated Curriculum process New curriculum

PARADIGMS AND THEORIES

-Tradictional methods -Behaviorism-Conductism

-Constructivism -Critic Pedagogy

- Criticic Pedagogy - Incorporates environmentalism focus

-Cultural Contextualized C. -General National Plan-connected

CONTENT CHARACTERISTICS AND CHANGES

-Memorization&repetition-based T. -Theoretical rather than practical -Emphasis on students ' discipline through mistreatment -Based on content rather than aptitudes/skillsTeaching/teacher focus-centered

-Reflection based -Focus on Practice -Focus on student's affection -Focus on skills development rather than content -Students/learning focus-centered

-Incorporates human/children right's focus -Emphasize on application of IT's -Focus on a complete evaluation system -Propose mechanisms for connection among Education levels -Implement the conception of "unification" rather than "specialization" in high-school Education

-Improve parameters for the evaluation system -Improve parameters for connection between Education levels -Improve parameters for the connection: School - Society -Reinforce parameters for skills development. -Propose the concept of Flexibility

Source: Curriculum 2016, Ministry of Education; UNESCO, 2015.Own elaboration

Some important indicators

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

3.9%

3.4%3.2%

2.9% 3.0%2.7% 2.7% 2.6%

2.2%

Illiteracy rates of the Population from 15 to 49 years old

Years

Source: INEC, Report of Ministry of Education - 2015 Own elaboration

2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

10.0%8.6% 8.6%

7.9% 7.6% 7.8% 8.1% 8.4% 7.9%6.7%

5.8%

Illiteracy rates of the Population (Global)

Years

Source: Ministry of Education of Ecuador; Educative Statistics 2015.Own elaboration

2006 2012

1,088

3,867

state budget for education in ecuador

years

usd

- MIll

ion

Source: SIISE, 2014; cited in UNESCO, 2015.Own elaboration

2006 2014

287.44

1056.51

453.26

646.3

Salary Evolution for Educators(USD per month - at the beginning of the

career)

Salary Basic household expenditures

0,63%

1,63%

Source: MinEduc - INEC 2014Own elaboration

HIGHER EDUCATION

Important indicators about its Evolution

0.72%

2.10%

1.10%

Public Investment in Higher Education based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Source: EcuadorUniversitario.com, 2015Own elaboration

Source: Consejo de Educación Superior (CES) 2015Elaboration: CES

Evolution of the Public Investment on Higher Education-Percentage based on GDP

Public Investment in Higher Education based on (GDP)2014

Source: Secretaria Nacional de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación/Senescyt (2015)Elaboration: SENESCYT

Before 2007

2014 (at the time)

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

481

1676

Minimal Salary of Higher Education Teachers-Public sector

(lowest fee-category teacher)

USD - SALARY

Source: Senescyt 2014Own elaboration

2008 2013

30%

53%

Percentage Educators with Post Academic Degree (Master-PhD) Public Universities

Source: CONEA 2008, SINIESE 2010, CEAACES 2012, Universities report Own elaboration

1995-2006 (time period)

2007-2010 (time period)

2011 (year)

2012 (year)

2013 (year)

237

660

1754

4849

6698

Number of Scholarships for International Studies offered by the Government throughout the time

Source: Subsecretaria de Fortalecimiento del Conocimiento y Becas-Senescyt, 2013.Own elaboration

CONCLUSIONS:The Education in Ecuador has suffered bad periods causing negative effects,

affecting deeply the social development of the Nation.

From 2007 the Education System of Ecuador is experiencing an important and quick development process.

Many goals have been reached last years, especially from 2012, however the Education system has still not reached a desirable standard.

Although, challenges for the coming years are really big, nowadays the system counts on solid fundaments for its development, such as well-designed public policies, plans and an increasing human talent coming from the new generations.

1. Tamayo, M.; 2009. La Educación en los últimos años. Retrieve from: https://es.scribd.com/doc/23693718/Ecuador-Educacion-en-los-ultimos-años

2. Araujo, M.D. y Bramwell, D.; 2015. Changes in education policy in Ecuador since 2000. UNESCO. Retrieve from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002324/232430s.pdf

3. Constitución de la República del Ecuador, 2008.4. Ministerio de Educación, 2015. Estadísticas Educativas 2015. Volumen 1. Ecuador. Retrieve from: http://www.educacion.gob.ec/wp-

content/uploads/downloads/2016/01/Publicaciones/PUB_EstadisticaEducativaVol1_mar2015.pdf5. Ley Orgánica de Educación Intercultural. Ecuador (2011).6. Briones, R.; Francisco, A.; Rivas, R.; Jorge, A.; Viteri, N.; Andrés, E.; Estrada, A.; Leonardo, M.; (2011). La educación en el Ecuador, situación

y propuesta del sistema de vouchers educativos como alternativa. Escuela Politécnica del Litoral. Guayaquil, Ecuador. Retrieve from: https://www.dspace.espol.edu.ec/bitstream/123456789/16995/1/La%20Educaci%C3%B3n%20en%20el%20Ecuador,%20Situaci%C3%B3n%20y%20Propuesta%20del%20Sistema%20de%20Vouchers%20Educativos%20como%20Alterna.pdf

7. Ministerio de Educación. Noticias; Diciembre, 2014. Ecuador. Retrieve from: http://educacion.gob.ec/ecuador-mejoro-su-sistema-educativo-en-los-ultimos-7-anos/

8. Ramírez, Rene. (2015). Logros en Educación Superior. Ecuador. Retrieve from: www.reneramirez.ec9. Ramírez, Rene (2013). Tercera Ola de Transformación de la Educación Superior en Ecuador. Secretaría Nacional de Educación Superior,

Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación. 10. Ministerio de Educación. Rendición de Cuentas 2014. Ecuador. Retrieve from:

http://educacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/06/Rendicion-de-Cuentas-2014.pdf11. UNESCO, 2015. La Educación para todos. Retrieve from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002325/232565s.pdf12. Ministerio de Educación. Currículo 2016. Ecuador. Retrieve from: http://educacion.gob.ec/curriculo/13. EcuadorUniversitario.com (Agosto, 2015). Retrieve from: http://ecuadoruniversitario.com/noticias_destacadas/al-2015-el-ecuador-

registra-una-fuerte-inversion-en-educacion-superior/

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