Educación intercultural bilingüe, privatización por defecto y desigualdad entre los docentes Awajún de la región San Martín

Abstract

This paper explores some effects of the privatization of education and Awajún student teachers´ training in the reproduction of inequality in the Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (EIB), main education policy for indigenous peoples in Peru. Since Legislative Decree N° 882 passed in 1996, within the context of neoliberal policies, private education grew enormously. Although, scarcely supervised by the State, this poor-quality education offer became attractive to Awajún teachers from San Martín, who work in the EIB service, where indigenous teachers with profesional degrees are scant. However, the engagement with private education contributes to the increasing devaluation of Awajún teachers´ roles as well as in the generation of unequal education. The qualitative research is based on information collected from interviews, observations and surveys with Awajún student and teachers as well as with non-indigenous teacher trainers from public and private institutions in the cities of Moyobamba, Rioja, Nueva Cajamarca and Jaén. The research is also based on official documents regarding the privatization of education, teacher training and EIB policy during the period 1990 to 2015.