Association of Private Schools of El Salvador (ACPES).
The difficult task of paying for children’s education is a harsh reality in El Salvador, even among families with children enrolled in private institutions. Many of these families earn minimum wages but want their kids to get the best education possible, which for them is their kids attending private schools.
The Association of Private Schools of El Salvador (ACPES) asked President Bukele that students from private institutions receive the equivalent of the value of the school package that public education students receive from the government.
Javier Hernandez, the president of ACPES, noted at an August 30 press conference that they had sent President Nayib Bukele a proposal asking that students from private institutions receive the same school package that public education students receive.
“We would like to call on the President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, to carry out the pertinent studies and to prepare and implement a viable proposal, a fair proposal to support mothers and fathers of private schools in El Salvador.
In the sense that their children receive the equivalent of the value of the school package given to the students of the educational centers of the public sector,” stated Hernandez.
Currently, students in the public sector receive from the government an aid package, which includes two uniforms and a pair of shoes for daily use, as well as fundamental school supplies and textbooks.
Additionally, they receive a laptop or a tablet and a school lunch voucher for two periods during the academic year.
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According to Hernandez, parents of the students enrolled in the private area are people with minimum wages; therefore, he considers that it is necessary to establish government aid.
This month’s proposal is not the first time ACPES has made this request to the Bukele administration; in 2021, a similar request was made to then-education minister Carla Hanania.
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We believe that it is fair to make this proposal again because it is a suggestion that parents have given us, in the sense that their children who study in private schools have the same rights as citizens, fathers, and mothers of families with children in public schools. Javier Hernandez, ACPES president.
The president of Private Schools of El Salvador, Javier Hernandez, also noted that the dropout rate in private schools fell 50% in the second quarter of 2023. However, despite the reduction in school dropouts, the Association also reported a drop in student performance.
