Language teaching and learning strategies for understanding and communication

BILINGUAL INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION TRAINING FOR THE ANDEAN COUNTRIES (PROEIB Andes)

Bolivia

The PROEIB Andes is the result of an initiative of a group of organizations and institutions in Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It is conducted from Cochabamba, Bolivia in compliance with a bilateral technical cooperation agreement between the Bolivian government and the Federal Republic of Germany. Argentina has just been incorporated into the program. The project is intended to contribute to the improvement of the quality and equity of the education by promoting academic exchanges and collaboration among the indigenous peoples of the participating countries, from a cultural diversity framework (which explains why it could be related to subject 3). PROIEB Andes also fosters the articulation of the university with the elementary school, putting into the hands of the latter, the main advances in the field of knowledge production and research in connection with indigenous societies, their cultures, languages and forms of education.

The project is carried out through five lines of action:
1) Human resources training: an academic program is developed, which includes short duration seminars and workshops addressed to indigenous and peasant leaders; professors at teacher training centers; university researchers and professors. These activities aim at transmitting the EIB (Bilingual Intercultural Education) fundamentals, participation and intervention strategies, aspects and contents inherent to teacher training and interdisciplinary techniques and methodologies of research and action. There are also master degree courses, with two and a half years of duration, for teachers who speak one indigenous language, so that they can specialize as change agents in the social-cultural and social-linguistic reality of their countries. 2) Research: actions are promoted in relation to enriching and transforming the existing educational practices, within a context of cooperation and shared action between academic researchers and those coming from the indigenous peoples concerned.
3) Publication and documentation.
4) EIB Teaching Training Consultantship.
5) Bilingual Intercultural Education of the Andean Countries: through the articulation of indigenous organizations, ministries of education, universities and research centers.

The project comes out of the necessity of supporting the sustainability of the EIB processes in multiethnic societies and promoting horizontal cooperation and permanent exchange of experiences among the countries that have similar problems in connection with the social and educational situation of their indigenous population. This joint effort guarantees an efficient development of the programs being realized and assures a wider quality and coverage of the educational proposals offered to the indigenous population.

Luis Enrique López
Main Advisor PROEIB Andes,
Bolivian headquarters, P.O. Box 6759, Cochabamba, BOLIVIA.
Tel.: (591-42) 235896, 235802
Fax: (591-42) 254046
E-mail: lelopez@proeibandes.org
Website: http://www.proeibandes.org

Institutional Partners
German Foundation for International Development
UNESCO
UNICEF
Latin American Cooperation Institute (ICI)
Executive Secretariat of the Andrés Bello Agreement
Several Indigenous Organizations
Ministries of Education
Universities and Research Centers of the participating countries
Financial Partners
World Bank and Danish Indigenous Development Agency (DANIDA).

PROEIB Andes began working on March the 1st, 1996. Its antecedents can be traced back to 1985, with the beginning of the indigenous professional training activities in Puno, Peru.

External evaluation of the National Program of Bilingual Intercultural Education of Peru (in-progress study with financial support of the World Bank)